Dark Eco Treatments
by madamwolf
Summary: Torn is captured by the Baron as his new suject for the dark warrior program. Can Jak get to Torn and find him before he dies from the dark eco, or worse. Maybe even learn a little bit more of Torn's past. Torture fic, no slash, just friendship.
1. Capture

AN: Okay so my second J&D story, this one so far will have no OC's, or main character OC's. There's gonna be OC's they just won't be as important. No specific time period for this, I guess sometime in Jak 2 if ya need one. This was a plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone until I made it leave me alone and then when I finished all my other stories except one it came back full force at me. This kinda follows my other story, but you don't have to read that one to get this.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything I mean come on if I owned it I would have made a Jak 5 or whatever by now. Cuz I don't know about you guys but I want one.

Warning: Torn angst and torture galore!!!!! And much OOCness! But hey it's a fic!

Alright I guess that's it. Enjoy the chapter and review!

Oh! Also I don't follow the ages to well in the games. If you pay attention to the profiles in Jak X it shows that in that game Torn is thirty and I don't like that so for the sake of this story he's like in his early mid twenties. Now seriously on with the fic!

* * *

"Torn! Get back!" Jak yelled as he put away is Blaster Gun and felt Dark Jak coming on.

They were getting over powered by Krimzon Guards in the middle of haven too. One in particular had spotted Jak and recognized him immediately as the 'dark creature' that the Baron was looking for. Jak tried to run from them but before he knew it more were coming at him. Not wanting to take them right to the Underground hideout he ran in the opposite direction and ended up on the other side of the slums.

He was quickly running out of ammo even with the ammo the KG dropped when they died, he could feel his heath slipping away as he fought harder and harder. At some point he realized he couldn't take the KG anymore and he needed help, taking out his communicator he pushed the button and yelled.

"Someone has to get here and help me!" Jak screamed. "They ambushed me! Too many of them!" he cried out between blows he delivered to the KG.

Torn was in the main room of the hideout, his communicator was on one of the beds along with his knife and guns. He figured he wasn't going anywhere for a while so it wouldn't harm anyone taking them off. He was, like always staring at maps and trying to figure out new battle strategies so they could win this war.

That was when he heard him communicator go off and the familiar voice of Jak over it yelling for help. It was shorting out and Torn figured it was probably because of the battle he was in at the moment form the sound of it.

"They am—shed me! T-- -any –f them!" Torn picked up his communicator and listened closely to the message before he threw the down the map he brought over on the bed and picked up his weapons.

"Dammit Jak." He said to himself and strapped them off as he left. Not many of the Underground members were in. Jinx was taking care of a few things at the stadium, Vee and Jen were in South Haven at the Naughty Ottsel with Tess getting the information she had gathered about Krew.

He knew a couple men were out seeing their families and he just had no idea where some were. Since there seemed to be no action going on lately he allowed a few men a day to take it for themselves, but he always made sure at least five people were still on active duty.

He made his way outside and ran over to the zoomer parked outside the hideout that Jak often took. Hopping on it he revved the engine and sped off changing hover zones to avoid traffic and people. "I swear Jak, you better not be pulling my God damn leg." He murmured to himself as he flew around the city looking for Jak.

Torn wasn't often seen in combat except if it was a large battle or he was really needed. It didn't mean he was a bad fighter, on the contrary he was an excellent fighter, he was agile and could deliver an amazing punch as well as be a good shot. However he was second in command and they couldn't risk his death or an injury that would prevent him form doing things when they really needed him. Besides he was also a great mind of the Underground, as well as a good fighter he was very smart as well. But every once and a while he could be seen doing a mission himself that either no one else could do, or he didn't trust anyone to carry it out properly.

He finally found a large group of KG running toward one area and decided that was probably the area where Jak was. He flew overhead and looked down until he spotted the sight of a Vulcan going off. When he was right overhead he jumped off and landed right in the middle, his knife in one hand, his gun in the other.

"Torn!" Jak cried surprised at the ex-KG that just landed down in front of him.

"Heard you could use a hand," The tattooed man said as he began firing his weapon at the men.

"Thanks." Jak said and then continued to fight off the Krimzon Guards who just seemed to keep coming and coming. It seemed like once you killed one two more took his place. Jak tried to fire his Vulcan Fury one more time but when he looked down to it he realized that he was out of ammo.

Taking out his Blaster Gun he proceeded firing and after a few minutes he looked back to see Torn using a combination of hand to hand combat and his small fire arms. Even though it looked like he was handling himself pretty well Jak saw that they were beginning to over powering him.

Because of his momentary distraction he failed to notice the KG come up from behind him and begin to hit him. Jak cried out and lashed out on the man with the butt of his gun. Knocking him down to the ground he looked at his hand and saw the familiar purple colored dark eco flow between his fingers.

"Torn! Get back!" he cried as he struggled to put his gun away before Dark Jak could come out.

"What?" He heard Torn and turned around to face him.

"I said Torn, get away! Get back!" Jak yelled

Torns blue eyes widened at the sight of Jak's washed out black eyes. Torn tumbled back, he had never seen Dark Jak. He's heard about him, seen pictures of him but never this close before. He watched as dark eco surrounded the boy and his skin began to pale to sickly color as his nails lengthen to razor sharp sheers. He backed up through the KG attacking those who attacked him by they all seemed occupied with Jak.

He heard Jak scream and he listened to the human scream turn into that of an animal. He would never admit it but he felt sorry for him, over the time he had known Jak he developed... a friendship... with him. He didn't have time to dwell on this thought for too long before he saw Jak jump up in the air with his fist high up over his head. Torn knew what this meant he burst out running away from the area knowing that the attack would hit him too if he stayed too long.

Before he knew it he was thrown off his feet and pushed forward by the force of Jak's attack. He hit a nearby wall in the narrow street and fell hard to the ground. Letting out a short cry as he fell on his arm he tried to push himself up only to find he didn't have the strength. He was not only thrown to the wall but the dark eco attack hat ht hi too, he didn't get quite far enough away to avoid it completely.

"Torn!" He heard from nearby. "Torn! You okay?" Jak asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," he growled knowing that he wasn't. He tried to sit up once again, he looked over to see Jak looking down as Daxter crawled up his leg and took his proper seat on his shoulder.

Jak looked over at Torn, he could see he wasn't alright the second he saw him for the first time after his attack. His arm was cradled to his stomach and he was gritting his teeth as he tried to stand. Jak shook his head and made sure Dax was okay before he began to head over to his commander.

"Hey... who's that?" Daxter asked looking up to see a shadowy figure walking over to Torn's injured body.

"I dunno..." Jak said and began to jog over to him. "Hey! Torn! Watch out!" Jak called as he started sprinting.

The figure seemed to notice Jak running over to him. He saw Torn look up and try to get his knife out of its sheath on his back before the figure came over and bent his one injured arm making him let out a strangled half suppressed cry.

"Torn!" Jak cried as the figure bent down and in seconds he disappeared along with Torn. Jak stopped in his tracks and looked on at the spot where Torn was once lying.

"Damn..." he muttered to himself.

* * *

Torn continued to try and fight the man as he grabbed a hold of his arm but the siring pain was unbearable. He wasn't sure if he cried out or not but he knew that the man got a firm grip on him and then everything went black for a couple seconds, he was sure he passed out, until it was like someone turned the lights back on but he wasn't where they were turned off.

It took him a moment to realize just where he was, but then it dawned on him. He was in the palace a part of the palace that he had only visited a couple times. It was the place where the Baron did his sick dark eco experiments. The last time he was here he saw them bring Jak in for his first dark eco treatment. That was the night he ran away from the KG never to go back.

In his mind fear was taking control but his face showed no signs of that. He looked at the cells, most were open, not many were occupied and Torn had a sinking feeling that today one more would be full.

He felt someone grabbing at him and tried to struggle back but the man above him was too strong. He felt the holsters from around his thighs become undone and them slip off, the dagger from his back was taken away as well as the small guns and knives he kept hidden. They did a very thorough search of him to make sure no more weapons or devices were on him and longer and they threw them in a metal drawer under some controls where the teleport gate was.

They drug him over to the center where the machine was, he may have only seen it in action once but he knew exactly what it was used for. He fought against his captors but he was no match for the strong KG men with weapons dressed against his neck and in his weakened state. They threw him down on the cold, hard table and strapped him down making him wince as they stretched out his injured arm.

The KG stepped away and some left the room, now that he was completely immobile. Fear was now evident on his face as well; they weren't planning on doing what he thought they were going to do... were they?

"Torn, Torn, Torn..." Came a gruff mocking voice he recognized right away. Looking up Torn spotted Baron Praxis waling closer to him with a couple guards by his sides.

The guards Torn recognized, once considered friends. The one of the left, Ryan, the one on the right Cliff, he went though his KG training with them. Them and Errol, Errol was his roommate in the dorms, they were once best friends. The two men that stood before him were in the dorm next to him. He looked to the men with a desperate look, mad at himself for showing such an emotion but at the moment he couldn't help it.

He never expected them to do something like this, of course Errol had turned out he would but Errol was always a little... off. But Ryan and Cliff had level heads, they wanted to help protect the city, now they were doing this... Torn couldn't help but this they were betraying him somehow.

"How nice of you to come back." The Baron said making Torn look back to him, his features once again hiding it all. "Haven't seen you in what, over two years is it now? You were so promising, the best, you could have had so much by now but you threw it all away. Why? You felt _sorry_ for the boy? Best you did leave then, I can't have someone so weak in my guard."

"I didn't leave because of Jak; I left because I finally realized what a bastard you were." Ton said sharply only to regret it because a fist came in contact with the side of his face.

"Now that's not polite." He said and began walking around him. "I guess you're wondering why you're here. We gave up on the man hunt for you some time ago, you're good at not being seen. But not good enough it seems, you see, Torn, we've been watching you for some time and today it only proved that you're perfect." He grinned and walked closer to Torn. "You hang around the dark eco freak a lot, the dark eco radiating off him should have affected you a little bit at least but nothing. And today you survived a dark eco attack. That's impressive."

"Glad I could be of service." Torn growled.

"Oh you haven't been of service quite yet, you're a perfect candidate. Now, just to warn you... this will hurt."

Fear crossed Torn face as the needle was lowered down until it was just a couple inches over his chest. His breathing got quicker and he looked to where the controls were, he saw the Baron walk over to them, give Torn a smile and then pulled a lever down.

Excruciating pain rang through Torn's body as the dark eco was injected in him. There was no point in not screaming, he wasn't even aware he was doing it as he squirmed to free himself of the pain.

The Baron smiled and looked on.

* * *

AN: Hope you enjoyed that, and just to say there will be no slash only friendship. I guess if you really wanted you could see it as slash but that's not the angle I'm taking this from.

But anyway, I hoped you liked it and please review tell me what ya think.


	2. Dark Sage

Jak stole the nearest zoomer he could find and sped back to hideout, he had to figure out where Torn was. The man he saw, it was like nothing he had ever seen before. Or he had seen people teleport like that, Mia and Gol, years ago back in his old home. They were Dark Eco Sages. Could it be that this stranger was a sage as well? He certainly looked like a Dark Eco Sage, he looked like he could hide in the shadows and never be seen. His armor was black and with the quick glimpse Jak got of his face it was a sickly pale face. It defiantly seemed like dark eco could be at work here.

He arrived at the hideout in record time and opened the door and walked down to the main room. He threw his things off onto one of the beds and walked over to the table. He leaned over it with his head down and sighed. Why would a Dark Eco Sage be interested in Torn?

"Hey, man, Tattooed Wonder's tough, he'll get out of it." Jak looked up at the sound of Daxter's voice; he must have been able to tell this was really eating him up.

"Yeah, yeah, he will..." Jak said and looked at all the maps. "Dax, did you see his face? Did you feel it around him?"

"Who's Face? Feel what?"

"The man, the dark eco? Could you feel it? It was like it was radiating off of him, and he looked like a sage."

"What'd'ya mean? Like Grandpa Green?" Daxter asked hopping up on the table.

"Yeah, but dark eco, I've only seen people do that once before and they were Dark Eco Sages." Jak explained to the Ottsel.

Daxter thought about it for a moment before responding. "But, Jak, why would a Dark Eco Mage have any interest in Torn? Unless it wasn't a mage, just some guy who... knows how to teleport..." Daxter finished slowly. "Yeah, I see your point."

"If there's a Dark Eco Mage somewhere out there then what has he been doing through all this? When we faced Gol and Mia the dark eco made then evil, does this mean that we have an evil mage on our hands too?"

He shuddered. "Oh, I hope not! I hate dark eco." Daxter said.

Jak smirked. "Heh, I know you do, Dax, but think about it, it makes sense. The teleporting without a teleportation ring, the armor he wore, his face, his manor... But why Torn? You'd think he would go after me."

"Unless he knew he couldn't get ya with Orange Lightening around!" Daxter showed off a few of his 'moves'.

Jak thought for a moment and a thought dawned upon him. "Wait, wait, Dax, what if that's it?"

"What's it?"

"Ransom! What if he was after me but knew he couldn't get to me!?" Jak exclaimed.

"Then why Torn? I mean, no offence, but you're a lot closer to other people then him. Like me! Or Keira, or... me!" Daxter said.

Jak nodded and his adrenaline rush leaving as he saw the downfall of his theory. "Yeah... I get it... maybe he couldn't get to them, ya know Keira's probably down at the stadium and with Errol hanging all over her..." Rage built up through Jak as he thought abut Errol with Keira.

"Hey, Jak, don't think about it, there's no way she'd go for such an ego hungry bastard." Daxter consoled seeing the anger build up in Jak's eyes.

"So she's go with a dark eco freak instead?" Jak asked turning away from the table and pacing behind it like he had seen Torn do so many times. Dax stepped forward to try and calm him but he stopped himself and resulted in sitting down on the table and playing with the tearing edge of a map. "Okay... so where could this guy have taken him?"

"Well he needs dark eco to keep all his powery things, so who has the largest supply of dark eco here?" Daxter asked.

"The Baron... he's always trading with the metal heads... he must have dark eco... so that means this guy must have connections with the Baron." Jak said. "But we also don't know if that's just where he goes or if he has some other place."

"My bet is some other place." Daxter said. "If he did take Torn for ransom then that means that he probably wouldn't take him to the palace, the Baron would want to keep Torn there, not exchange him for anything."

"Wait! What if that's it! Torn used to be a Krimzon Guard, he was real high rank! He was never caught, what if the Baron wanted him!"

"C'mon, man, why now?" Daxter asked. "He probably left years ago."

"You're right... damn this is gonna be harder then I thought..." Jak mumbled and leaned over the table with his head in his hands.

"Jak?" He looked up, that voice defiantly did not belong to Daxter, and if it did he would be worried.

"Ashelin?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's me," the red haired woman said walking down the stairs and into the hideout. "I just heard about the battle, glad you got away, I heard they took someone." She said.

"They did, they took Torn." Jak replied.

"What?" She asked. "Why would they take Torn? Wait, what was he there?" She asked baffled.

"I called for help, they were overpowering me, Torn showed up he helped me out. But then this guy came and he like, he teleported away with him." Jak explained.

"Teleported?" Ashelin asked looking away thinking. "Well the only person I can think of who can do that is Darol."

"Darol?" Daxter asked. "What kinda name is that?"

"What kind of name is Daxter?" She replied smugly. "But Darol is a man who, I guess you could say works for my father or my father works for him I don't know, but he helps him with his dark eco collecting, if someone doesn't pay their taxes or owes the city money he's the one that's sent out. I've heard he's quite the bastard."

"What'd'ya mean with the whole workin' thing?" Daxter asked.

"Well, he collects the eco and he keeps some gives some to my father, he has all these different connections with everybody and he does some things for some people they gives him things in return." She said. "You never know who he's working for when you see him around."

"And this guy is the guy who took Torn..." Jak sighed.

"He has to be working for someone." Ashelin said.

"Question is who." Daxter said.

* * *

In the Barons palace not far away Torn was breathing hard and lying on a cold hard metal table. The pain he felt coursing through his body was unbearable, it felt like his veins were on fire and rest to burst through his skin. His insides were ready to explode and he wanted with every fiber in his being to move and try to free himself of the pain but the restraints holding him down prevented him from doing so. 

His first dark eco treatment was completed.

"Well, well, you're not dead." Torn struggled to turn his head and stay conscious as he saw the Baron walked up to him. "That's a good sign, the more treatments you survive the more likely to survive the rest."

Torn didn't respond he stared off into the blackness of the ceiling above him trying not to concentrate on the pain.

"No answer? Torn, I'm sorry to say you've changed, back in the day you were tough, you were a man, now look at you, you're weak, you're nothing. One treatment and already you're broken. No wonder you were so easy to capture." The Baron spat.

Torn gather up his breath and looked at the Baron, his voice was strangled and weak but it still held his threatening manor. "You son of a bitch..." he growled. "I... may... not be at my strongest point now... but when I get off this thing... I will kill you... I will kill you slowly... and painfully... and I will make you wish you were never born."

Before Torn knew it the Baron had his chin firmly in his hand making Torn look at him. "Don't talk to me like that, boy, I was fighting in wars since before you were born. I could just kill you now, but instead I'm giving you a chance to be something worth while."

"It'd be... a nice... getaway." Torn said making the Barons fist come in contact with his already bruising face. Torn felt his mouth fill with warm blood and turned his head to spit it out.

"Shut your mouth, boy." He yelled glaring at him.

"And we were... just having... such a meaningful... conversation."

"Don't talk back to me if you wish to live!" The Baron snapped. "Take him to his cell, no food today or tomorrow for punishment! And make his next dark eco treatment double!"

Rough hands undid the shackles on his wrists and ankles and pulled him off. If Torn were stronger and not weakened by the dark eco he could have fought back and tried to escape. But at the moment, Torn couldn't even feel his legs, it was like they didn't even exist, and his arms were in so much pain the forcefulness of the men grabbing him.

He was vaguely aware of him being dragged away and then thrown into a cold hard cell. That was the last thing he remembered was a cell shutting heavily across form him before he welcomed unconsciousness with open arms.

* * *

AN: It looks short... hm... but since this isn't on my account yet I don't see the pretty word count. Well thanks for reading that first chapter, hopefully I'll get more for this one, cuz ya know that'd be real great. Hehe... yeah... 

Pairings it took me a while to decide what was gonna be goin' on in that department. Jak/Keira and Dax/Tess, that'll probably be it, Ashelin is great but I hate her with Torn. He's my man... ANYWAY! Hope ya liked, review.


	3. A Lead

Torn awoke in the cell after several hours of unconsciousness. He was feeling better, a lot stronger then he was last time. But he still felt like someone beat him to a bloody pulp, which is probably what happened. He couldn't remember much of anything that happened; a lot of it was a big fuzzy blur. He did however remember going back to the palace, the men dragging him around and onto the chair where the treatments were given to him.

He couldn't believe that it was now him in that chair. He really couldn't believe the Baron was still giving the dark eco treatments, he had killed so many innocents before he left the KG, he could only imagine how long it was before he would die. He remembered seeing Jak getting a treatment over two years ago, he'd never actually seen it happen, he left at that moment. It was a little ironic really.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the cold hard wall, he wondered if anyone would come and get him. He knew he was a bit of a hard ass at times but he had to be, this was war. He couldn't be nice all the time. But maybe, it would have helped to be nice at least some of the time. He let his men know he appreciated them right? Not so much to Jak, who was probably his best hope right now, but he was new. Torn was still working with him, earning respect and while he eared the respect he would return it.

In the midst of his thoughts he failed to notice the door slide open and two KG walk in until they were just a few feet away form him. Torn stood up in defense and positioned himself for a fight. He knew he stood no chance against them, hell he could hardly stand, he felt like he would collapse any second.

One of the guards laughed. "Come on _commander,_" he mocked. "Time for your medication."

The other laughed and they both grabbed his arms keeping him well under their control. "Get the hell off me!" Torn growled, his voice much more rough then it usually was which means it was very, very rough now. He began to try and fight them off, but he wasn't doing well.

"No chance," The second said as they drug him out of the cell. "You know, if you just stayed with us this wouldn't be happening. If you just stayed on the right side rather then going with that Shadow freak you'd be free from this fate."

"I'd rather die then be a guard again." He hissed at them.

"And that is what will probably happen." The fist one said. "Now the Baron as you can imagine is a very busy man, he wished he could have been here for your second treatment but unfortunately he has other... _affairs_ to take care of. So, the main man today is an old buddy of yours."

They reached the God forsaken chair and Torn looked at it, next to it was Errol standing there with a big grin on his face. "Hello, Torny Boy, long time so see, eh? Last time I saw you, you were running for your worthless little life." Errol said leaning over Torn who promptly spat in his face. "You worthless piece of shit!" He yelled as he whipped the spit away form his face.

"Yeah, we've established that." Torn said.

"Tie him down! I want to see him scream." Errol said as the two KG started to lock the shackles around his wrists and ankles.

Torn watched as they lowered the large needle down and just above his chest, he tried not to show any signs of fear. He already degraded himself the previous day from his crying and screaming. "Now we decide to be the brave one? I heard of your display yesterday, you'll scream, and I'll enjoy it." Errol said and he walked over to the switch. "Prepare yourself, Torn, fun for me, painful for you." He said and pulled it making the purple colored eco run into his body.

He resisted screaming for a little while, even though it felt like his veins were exploding but eventually he let go and began yelling out in pain. He didn't care anymore, it felt good to scream and try to be released of the pain and anguish.

All the while Errol watched the display with a sick smile of pleasure on his face.

* * *

Several hours later Ashlein lead Jak to a place in the Bazzar, a place where she knew Darol had worked. She hoped maybe they could get some answers on his whereabouts there. She said that since she was the Barons daughter that she could probably get them to talk. 

"You sure this guy has information?" Jak asked as they walked down a street.

"Pretty sure, but, you know, at the moment he's our best chance." She replied.

"What if he doesn't?"

"Then we come up with a new plan." Ashelin said turning around. "Don't worry this isn't the first time I've had t track people down."

"But not people who have super dark eco-y powers that put Jak here to shame." Daxter said.

Ashelin chose to ignore the comment as continued to walk. "We're almost there." She said and turned a corner to a dead ended road.

She lead the two of them to a house, Jak noticed it was almost completely opposite to Onin's tent. It was in a secluded area, not many people were there. He saw her knock on the door several times and stand there with a firm face and her arms folded.

After a minute or so the door opened and a shady looking man appeared in the doorway. He looked around and then back at Ashelin as though he were afraid a metalhead would jump out at him. "What?" He asked harshly once he was positive he was in no immediate danger.

"We're here on business from my father, may we come in?" She asked.

The man looked Jak and Daxter up and down real quick before giving a short nod and he opened the door reluctantly. Jak had a feeling it was only because she was a KG. "What seems to be the trouble, ma'am?" He asked stiffly forcing the respect into his voice as they walked into the small home.

"It concerns Darol, I heard he worked for you for a while. Can you tell us where he is right now?" She asked looking around the dirty home in disgust, obviously playing the part of her father's typical daughter.

"That information is confidential." The man said not letting them in any further then a few feet away from the door and folding his arms. He glared daggers at them and his lip curled.

"Confidential?" Ashelin asked and nodded her head looking down for a moment before she whipped out her gun from her thigh holster and advanced on the stunned man pushing the gun into his chest. "Tell me where Darol resides now and I won't blow your head off."

"You wouldn't." He said with a smirk.

"Okay, maybe I wouldn't _kill_ you, but I sure as hell would tell my father the job you had Darol do last time you spoke, then he would." She said giving him a hard death glare. "Now, tell me where he is before I do something you might regret." She pushed the gun in.

The man's smile disappeared form his face in an instant and he scowled at her. "I don't know where he is."

"Liar." She said and moved the gun away form his chest and to his shoulder, pressing hard and her finger putting pressure on the trigger. "Tell me. Now."

"I don't know." He said once again.

She pulled the trigger and moved it aside real fast so it only grazed his shoulder making crimson blood begin to pour of his wounded shoulder. "Okay, I didn't want to have to do that but tell me or next time I won't miss." She hissed.

"Alright, alright, jeez, he uh... I don't know where he is now. I don't know where he lived." He saw her getting angry and panic crossed his face. "But wait! Wait! I know he worked for someone else after me, Kal. He needed someone killed, so he called him. He lives in the north east apartments. First floor, room, uh, room thirty three I think. Please don't kill me." He pleaded giving up all the information.

Ashelin took the gun away from his shoulder but kept it on him in case he tried anything. "Alright, what you told us better be right, or I will come back and you will have wished you were never born." She said quietly as they started leaving the house.

"Yeah! And don't try runnin' either! We'll find ya!" Daxter yelled wanting to get his two cents in as Jak walked out the door.

Ashelin closed it behind her and put her hands on her hips. "Well that was better then nothing." She resorted.

"What job did that guy make Darol do?" Jak asked.

"I don't know, I was taking a guess, it's usually illegal." She shrugged. "Come on, we better head back to the slums." She said and jumped on a parked zoomer nearby as did Jak to head over to the slums.

* * *

At that moment Baron Paxis' palace Torn was lying in his cell on the hard floor. He didn't move since they threw him in. They kept their promises they made sure he got no food that day, they also made sure that his eco treatment was twice as long as it normally would have been. Torn also didn't doubt that Errol probably made the treatments longer and harder just for revenge. 

He could feel the dark eco pumping through his blood, even though he was so weak he couldn't move he felt something deep in him. A sort of energy to rise up and kill whoever was doing this. He never felt so strong in his life and yet so weak at the same time.

Was this what Jak was feeling all the time? Torn couldn't imagine it, a whole new respect opened up for him. And Jak went though this for two years, Mar knows how many treatments he went through. Torn only had two, well three if you count the last one as two, he couldn't imagine what it would be like after two years of this.

But Jak was different... right? No man could survive those eco treatments and still be alive; something about him had to be different. But maybe the reason he survived was because with the more treatments he had the stronger he got. Torn hoped so, but he had a sinking feeling this would only get harder.

* * *

AN: Another chapter up and ready for action! I hope you guys liked it. Like I said before plenty of Torn angst, and by the way I have nothing against him. I love him, favorite character, I just wanna see him in pain... is that so wrong? ... Right okay anyway, thanks for the reviews I pray that you continue to review in the future cause that would be just great! I'll update again soon, hopfully, OH AND GUESS WHAT PEOPLE I GOT MY DRIVERS LICENSE!!!!! I got the biggest bitch out there for my instructor person on the road test but I passed. YAY! Okay so make my day better and review. 


	4. Meeting

**AN:** Okay so obviously I haven't been updating lately, soooorrrrryyyyyy. I just got really wound up in my Harry Potter fic. But I'm back now, no need to worry. I'll try and make this longer, more like my other stories are, also ya'll probably already know this but OOCness galore. Now, enough of my pointless babbling, ON WITH THE ALMIGHTY FIC!

* * *

Ashelin and Jak rode on their hover bikes as fast as they could to the slums. Ashelin knowing better then Jak exactly where they were going so Jak tried to stay behind her somewhat. It wouldn't take that long, he was after all the faster racer in all of Haven, Ashelin wasn't that bad either, he wondered why she never competed in the races but he quickly pushed that out of his mind and pressed on more important matters.

Finally after many short stops and changing of hover zones Ashelin parked near a building. She got off her zoomer and looked up. "Well, this is it. Hopefully we can get some better answers here."

Jak chose not to say anything as they walked up to the main door. Ashelin opened it and walked in, there was no one there watching the door like in some of the other parts of Haven. Obviously no one cared enough about this area to worry about the people.

She lead him down a hall past the stairs and through the first floor. Jak noticed a few door ahead it said thirty three, that was the place. She stopped at the door and knocked on it hard.

Timidly the door opened and they were met with a young woman, probably between Jak's age and Torn's, perhaps maybe Ashelin's age. She got one look at Ashelin and flinched back, afraid of the Krimzon Guard and Baron Praxis's daughter that she was met with. "H –How may I, may I help you... ma'am." She added quickly in a small voice.

"We're here to ask you a few questions." She asked roughly, not caring that this woman looked like she would faint any second.

"Oh well, then, please, please come in." She said looking down as she opened the door wider so they could walk through. The woman gave Jak a small glace as he walked in but when he returned it her eyes hit the floor once more. "How may I help?" She repeated and sat down on an old chair and she gestured for them to make themselves comfortable.

"It's about Darol," Jak said before Ashelin could. He was getting a little sick of this, he wanted his friend back.

Her head shot up, well that was something, she knew him. "What about him?" She asked.

"How do you know that name?" Ashelin asked.

A look crossed her face and she bit her bottom lip.

"May I remind you you're speaking too a Krimzon Guard?" Ashelin said. "Lying to be is lying to my father, and you don't lie to my father."

She wrung her fingers together and looked toward the door. "He, um, he worked for my boyfriend, for a, for a while..." She said not looking any of them in the eyes.

"By any chance if yer boyfriend, oh I dunno, KAL!" Daxter said jumping off Jak's shoulder and onto the worn table between them.

"How did you...?" She began but was cut off.

"We were told a man named Kal worked for Darol, now start giving us some straight answers." Ashelin said. "Where is Kal now?"

"He's out." She answered.

"Where?" Jak asked.

"I don't know, he doesn't tell me, I don't ask." She said.

Ashelin was beginning to feel sympathy for the young woman, and she did something she rarely ever asked someone she was questioning... Their name.

"Sarah." She answered.

"Okay, Sarah, give me one moment." She stood up and walked over to the corner for a moment taking out her communicator. After a few short seconds she came back and sat down. "I just put out a warrant for Kal, apparently the guards in this area know him well. He won't be coming back anytime soon, especially if they catch him with something."

Sarah nodded.

"Now, can you tell us what Kal had Darol do for him?" Jak asked.

"I don't know, he never told me, but it was something bad, Darol was acting really happy about it all." Sarah said looking down again at hr hands.

"Ya met 'im?" Daxter asked.

"This isn't the first time Darol has worked for Kal; I've spoken with him several times. This time he said something about payback, someone getting what they disserved." She said.

"Do you know who it was?" Jak asked leaning forward.

"No..." She shook her head.

"Do you know where Darol conducts his... business?" Ashelin asked and Sarah nodded. "Could you tell me?"

"Not far from here, an old abandoned building. He has all these secret passages in it. I don't know how he made them, but I've seen him open one when Kal drug me down there with him one night. It's like this evil energy. It's horrible to see, its bone chilling..." She said.

Jak knew what she meant; this man was an expert in dark eco. He knew that dark feeling, the evil energy. He knew it all too well.

"Okay, I think we have all the information we need." Ashelin said and stood, "we might be back if we need more."

"A –Alright well, just, just don't tell them I told you anything, please." She pleased folding her hands in front of her chin.

"I swear to you, Sarah, we won't, and if everything pans out okay we can lock them both away in the prisons and you'll never have to see either of them again." Ashelin said taking the arms of the small frail woman.

Sarah nodded and closed her eyes. "Okay, okay, thank you."

"No," Jak said sighing, "Thank you, you might have just saved our friend."

Sarah nodded out them and walked out the door she shut it behind them. She sighed and walked over to the chair she was sitting on before with a small smile of relief on her face.

"Well that was a load of help." Daxter said as they walked down the hall and out the door.

"It was... but to be honest it just makes me worry more..." Ashelin said. "If Torn was in fact the man that Kal had Darol kidnap then he's probably dead..." She trailed off.

"No, he's not." Jak said.

"How can you be so sure?" She asked him.

"Because he's not." He responded and jumped on his zoomer. "Let's go to that place Sarah talked about. If this Darol guy opened these secret passages with dark eco then I have no doubt in my mind I would be able to open it too." He finished with his temper beginning to rise.

"Hey, man, calm down, you know what happens if ya get pissed –AAAHHHHHHH!!" Daxter yelled as Jak sped away on the zoomer.

The arrived at the abandoned building in a few minutes. It wasn't a far drive at all, and not very far from the hideout Jak noticed. He was surprised Torn never wanted to check it out before now but then, he thought, it probably never posed a threat before.

Ashelin got off her zoomer and looked the building up and down. It was very run down and almost all the windows were broken and boards were covering them. "It doesn't look like much." Ashelin stated as she walked up closer to it.

"Maybe I should go first." Jak said stopping her.

"Why?"

"Well Sarah said that he used an evil force and evil energy to get through. She was talking about dark eco, even if she didn't realize it. Dark eco could kill you; it won't do a thing to me." Jak said.

"Fair enough, you first." Ashelin said and waved him forward.

Jak started forward but then gave the orange ottsel on his shoulder a look. "Dax, maybe you should hang with Ashelin behind me, who knows what more dark eco could do to you."

"I completely agree." Daxter said, it was no secret he wanted to stay as far away form dark eco as possible, which was a double standard, hanging around Jak all the time.

"Get on my shoulder and I will shoot you." Ashelin growled as Daxter landed near her feet.

"Ah, sweet stripes you know you'd like it." he said and then noticed Jak moving forward. "Hey wait up, man!"

Jak walked through the opening in the building and inside. The place was defiantly not anything special. It was dark, dank and musty. Their footsteps echoed throughout the building as they walked. Stopping in the middle Jak looked around, he had no clue where to go.

"What now?" he heard Ashelin say behind him and he gave a shrug.

"Hey! Look at this over here." He heard Daxter say.

Turning around he saw his friend on the far wall looking at something. "Dax, I told you to stay near, there could be dark eco."

"But look at this!" He insisted and Jak walked over rolling his eyes as if he were listening to a small child speak. "Look, I can see through the cracks in this wall, it's hollow back there."

Jak bent down and looked through. "Jeez, Dax, how'd you manage to stop that...?" He asked looking through the crack in the wall.

"Being Orange Lightening has its advantages." Daxter snickered.

"Alright step back, I'm gonna try and find a door or something here." Jak said. "And if that doesn't work, I'll break it."

"Always a good plan B." Daxter said walking back to where Ashelin was standing.

* * *

Torn was in his cell lying on the ground, over the past couple days he had received no food and his need for food was getting extremely painful. He couldn't move even if he wanted to, the dark eco running through his body was agitated when he moved. He was not yet used to it, and he thought he never would be.

By this point he was having some doubts on his rescue. He knew it was only a few days, or what he assumed, he had no real sense of time here, but he had hoped that they would have found him by now.

He tried shifting his arm out from under him but it only resulted in more pain, and not only from the eco, also from the hard stone floor he had been lying on for hours. He grunted in pain and he moved his arm out so it was more sprawled out on the floor and he stared at it.

He then heard the door open, he already had his dark eco treatment for the day, what where they doing back? Where they going to give him food? No, they weren't that kind. The person walked over and purposely stepped on Torns hand and pushed the toe of his shoe down into the hand. He heard a crack and winced as one of his fingers broke.

Looking up he saw that it was Errol who was standing over him. "Hey, roomie." He said referring to the days when they shared a room in KG training. "How ya been?"

Torn didn't answer, he knew Errol didn't care at all, he wanted to mock him. Torture him some more. "No smart ass comments? Probably for the best, maybe you're finally learning your place, ya freak."

Freak. The only freak here was Errol, a man who has lost so much of his mind there was nothing left but insanity. If Torn was indeed a freak, then what exactly was Errol?

"This is a surprise visit, I really shouldn't be here. I'm sure they wouldn't mind though, they know I have business to settle with you. The treatments are a hell of a lot of fun but... I find it... much more fulfilling when I'm able to carry out the torture with my own two hands."

He paled as he heard this, or he might have, he was already pretty pale to begin with. He wasn't prepared in the slightest bit when a foot came roaring into his stomach making his gasp out, not only it stirring up the dark eco but it also hurt like hell.

"Baron Praxis would surely kill me if I harmed you too much; you're the most promising subject we've had since that dark eco freak you hang around. But then again I'm sure I could just blame your bruises on the machine, you always were soft, always caring about others and protecting, it's sickening." he gave him another kick on the side, he scoffed. "Weak," he said as Torn moaned once again.

* * *

The three Underground members traveled through the cavernous halls and tunnels beneath the building and various others. It was like a labyrinth, Jak was sure that if he had to he would not be able t find his way out of the place.

He heard the soft scurrying of Daxter's nails as he ran on all fours, it sounded like, to catch up with Jak. Then, a couple seconds later, he felt the familiar, comfortable weight of his old friend on his shoulder. "Uh... Jak?" He asked sitting in a hunched position.

"Yeah."

"You, uh, you have any clue where we are. Cuz this place is startin' to give me the creeps."

"No."

"Okay, well, that's good to know..." Daxter rolled his eyes regretting that he ever found that hidden door.

"It shouldn't be long before we find someone." Ashelin said as she quickened her pace to catch up with them. "People have defiantly been down here in the past few days."

"But what if they only come down once like every month. We could be stuck here, we could _die_ here!" Daxter cried out.

"Get a hold of yourself, Dax." Jak said giving the ottsel a slap on the side of the head.

"Yeah..." He sighed and he laid down to a more comfortable position on his shoulder.

Wandering through the halls they entered through another door and finally they heard noises. Ashelin put her fingers to her lips as they crept forward pulling her gun out. Jak followed his hand on the trigger of his gun as well. They walked to the slightly open door and heard cries of pain.

A worried look shot over Jak's face, could it be Torn? Ashelin pinned herself against the wall and mouthed, one, two, three, and they burst in the room guns aimed at the man.

Unfortunately for them it was not Torn, but some poor unfortunate soul who happen to get in trouble with the wrong people.

"Put your hands in the air!" He heard Ashelin yell at the man who had their back to him.

Instead of raising his hands the man turned around and began laughing like a maniac at them. A wide grin spreading across his sickly pale face, Jak had no doubt in his mind this was the man who took Torn. He was clad in the same black clothing and he had the same dark eco aura Jak could sense form a mile away.

"So you did find me." Darol grinned and spoke in an insane voice; he was having far too much fun doing what he was doing to the poor man. "I'm impressed, most don't."

"Where is he?" Jak asked his gun aimed at the man but also he could feel his own dark eco powers coming on, ready to fight.

"I remember you." Darol said walking closer to Jak. "You were with the guard, weren't you?"

"Where is he?" Jak repeated.

"I don't know, if I'm not doing the torturing myself I don't bother to ask, I dropped him off and left him to his captor." Darol said with a hint of disappointed. "It was a pity I would have liked to hear him scream."

"Who did you drop him off with?" Ashelin growled.

"Sorry, doll, customer employee confidentiality. I can't tell you things like that." He laughed once more. "I'm sure he's having loads of fun though." He said as a sick afterthought.

"Bastard!" Jak yelled and advanced on the man who disappeared right in front of his eyes just like he did that day when Torn was captured.

"Ah, ah, ah, don't want to do that. You can't even imagine what kind of power I possess compared to yours." Darol said, his voice seemed to travel all along the room. It sent a shiver down Jak's spine.

Ashelin sneered. "You're under arrest for kidnapping, murder, abuse and I'm sure if I tried I could find more things." She said walking closer to him and taking a small set of handcuffs out from her belt. She obviously didn't carry the large hevy duty ones on her at all times.

"You can't arrest me," he laughed at her.

"Try me," she stared and walked closer her gun still at the ready.

He grinned and in a flash he was gone, then his voice echoed around the room. It was like he was everywhere speaking to them. "You'll never find your friend; he's as good as dead now." Then it was gone they looked around but there was no sign of the evil man.

"That didn't go over to well..." Daxter mumbled looking around the room.

The all simultaneously sighed, wondering what their next move would be. It seemed that as of now, they had no leads whatsoever.

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**AN:** Oh... my poor Torn. It breaks my heart to do this to him... well... no not really I find it fun... wow I'm sick in the head, but that's also the reason my beta won't really wanna beta this story. It makes her sad. She's not an angst freak like me. Thanks for the reviews guys, I love them! Keep it up! Reviewing is fun! 


	5. Getting In

Jak sat in the Underground HQ staring at the various maps and battle plans that still littered the hideout. They had not yet found Torn, he had been missing for over a month now and was presumed dead by many of the underground members. The Shadow even came and held a small memorial service, it was the only time Jak had seen Daxter not make fun of the younger Samos.

Ashelin hardly attended the 'funeral' she stood there in the back, she didn't even speak. Some of the women in the underground, or all of them rather since they only consisted or Tess, Vee and Jen had tried to confront her and get her to open up but she was being very guarded. They came back to Jak with nothing good; they must have been their separate ways at the moment. He hadn't seen any of them for several days. Or maybe they were just at the bar, he didn't know and he didn't care.

Daxter wasn't on his shoulder twenty-four seven anymore, he was at the bar a lot with Tess. He could say he loved the non active, calm life he had now, except for the missions Jak sent himself on, but he did miss the Tattooed Wonder, arguing, even the suicide missions he liked.

Since Torn was second in command a lot of the responsibility he held fell back on the other members. There was no definite third in command, so Jak took some of the work for his own, he was never a behind the desk sort of person but he found himself doing more then he ever thought he would. Jinx also came by more often to take up some work, he was there almost every other day now.

In all the Underground needed their commander, it was falling apart without him. They all seemed to have given up on him though, thought him dead. All of them, that is, except for Jak.

He was still quite sure that Torn was alive somewhere, still breathing, still holding on and waiting for them to rescue him.

Jak flipped through a few maps and stared at them, he had to admit that he wasn't nearly as good at this as Torn was. Usually he even found himself staring at the maps thinking to himself 'what would Torn do'.

Daxter was sitting on the table next to him staring at the impossible map they were faced with. They got word of a metal head attack on the city's walls, for the life of Jak he couldn't figure out a decent battle strategy.

"Well what if we... wait no... we would DIE!" Daxter exclaimed as he pushed himself up and began pacing. "There is no plan! There is nothing we can do to prevent this attack without half the underground dyin' Jak face it! We're stuck, even Dark Jak couldn't beat that many."

"I bet Torn could figure something out..." Jak mumbled.

"But he's not Jak!" Daxter cried. "As much as ya hate to admit it he's dead! He's not comin' back an' he's not gonna to help ya with this. Jak, buddy, I'm sorry, but we're on our own."

Jak sighed and lowered his head to the table. "I know, Dax... I know..."

"Jak! JAK!"

"Ashlein?" Jak and Daxter said in unison.

They looked up to see a familiar red headed KG running down the stairs. She looked exhausted like she ran here and her hair was in her face. She stopped in front of the table breathing hard. "Jak..." She gasped but couldn't find the air to speak any more.

"Ashelin... What's... what's wrong? What happened? Are their metal heads? Or are the Krimzon Guards causing trouble or wha -!"

"No, no." She said as he led her over to one of the nearby beds. "It's not that, it's Torn." She said and looked up at him as she finally caught her breath, even though she was still breathing hard.

"Torn?" Jak asked quietly. "What about him? He's dead..."

She shook her head. "No, he might not be." She smiled at him. "I was walking around the palace and I heard some of the guards saying that my father got a new... urg... man for the dark warrior program." She shuddered at herself for thinking of the horrible experiments hr father was performing.

"So...?" Daxter shrugged. "He found another poor sap fer the dark warrior program. We go in guns blazin' an' save 'im."

"No, no, it's not just that. I heard them saying that he was an ex Krimzon Guard. That this was happening to him as payback or he deserved it or something. I couldn't hear them to clearly without making it look like I was eavesdropping on them. I know I couldn't hear them too well, but I did hear the word traitor." She said.

"Traitor?" Jak asked.

"Yeah, sort of what everyone calls Torn. If someone in the palace says traitor then chances are they were talking about him. When he ran from the KG and became a fugitive my father put out so many searches to find him. He was widely known as a traitor to the people. That's what my father and the guards always referred to him as."

"So, you think that this person the Baron is pumping dark eco into is Torn?" Jak asked.

"Yes! I do, I think it's him, I really do!" She exclaimed. "I don't know why we didn't think of it sooner. Darol has worked for my father in the past and what better way for him to get his hands on the biggest fugitive out there? Well, biggest fugitive aside from you Jak." She smirked for a second at him.

"How could he survive those treatments?" Jak wondered as he paced. This defiantly seemed to be a possibility now.

She sighed and gave him a look. "I don't know but I think..." She trailed off.

"Think what?" He said.

"Well... you two talk a lot. Or your together a lot or in the presence of one another a lot, right?" Ashelin asked not quite sure on what to say.

"Yeah, whenever I come down here, he's always here. He almost always gives me my missions face to face."

"What does that have to do with anythin'?" Daxter asked getting a little impatient.

"I've been thinking that since you radiate off dark eco no matter how hard you try not to maybe since he was exposed to it a lot around you somehow he got a little accustomed to it." She said.

Jak looked down and furrowed his brow. So, it could have been all because of him and the damned dark eco running through his blood the reason Torn was taken by the Baron. he sighed and lifted his head back up. "So, what if we went in and tried to get him out?"

"I think we could do it." Ashelin said. "From what I remember form the last dark warrior he was making, the treatments are a few hours a day. They were over by five and by six no one hanging around until the next day." She looked to Jak. "You've gotten in the palace before, shouldn't be that much of a challenge for you to do it again."

"I could do it again." Jak said. "I know the way in and the way out. Are you coming with me, Dax?"

"Am I comin' with ya?" Daxter repeated. "Of course I am! Wouldn't miss this fer the world!" he cried and hoped over onto Jak's shoulder. "So when we leavin'?"

"I want to go and get him as soon as possible." Jak said, "Do you know the time, Ash?"

She opened up the communicator on her wrist and looked at the watch. "Just past five, if it is him up there he should be back in his cell by now. But they probably won't leave him alone for another hour. Best to wait."

"I don't wanna wait, Mar knows what's they're doing to him in that hell hole." Jak said as he walked around the table to pick up his gun and hover board.

"But Jak!" Ashelin protested. "If you get caught too then you'll be no good to anybody and we might never get him out! I can distract the guards but I can't keep them away forever especially if they're expecting anyone to walk in or out."

"So you want him to just hang out in there until we have the convenient time to rescue him? I'm sorry but we've been waiting for the convenient time for over a month!" he yelled and strapped the gun onto his back.

"But Jak!" She tried again only to be ignored by the determined blond. She shook her head and saw that he wasn't going to give in any sooner. Besides by the time they got up there maybe they would be completely done with him. Hopefully.

In minutes Jak was out the door and walking down the alley way and to his parked zoomer. Ashelin quickly picked up another zoomer a little further away and sped down the road to catch up with Jak who was already far ahead of her, and with his racing skills she was pretty sure she wasn't going to catch up with him.

She eventually did lose him in the crowd but she knew exactly where he was headed. There was one elevator she knew Vin had activated. It lead to the roof he had gotten in there that way before. He could probably do it again. She arrived at the spot and saw him waiting by the elevator kicking at rocks with his shoe. Ashelin parked it and walked up to it.

"So what's the plan? You seem so eager, why don't you tell me what the hell we're gonna be doing." She said.

"Look, I know how to get in the room, but I just need you to distract as many guards as possible. I can get out through the teleport gate in the room. I know how to activate it to Vin's." Jak said in haste.

"You don't need any help with him?" She asked.

"Shouldn't." Jak said.

"Even if he did he had Orange Lightening backin' him up, sweet stripes." Daxter said jumping off Jak's shoulder and striking a pose on the ground.

"Just be careful in there," she said. "My father would do anything to catch you if you were in the palace."

"That's why you need to distract them." Jak said as he and Daxter walked up to the elevator and the doors shut in front of them, leaving Ashelin on the outside.

"Damn..." She murmured to herself as she walked back over to her own zoomer. It was not only five thirty, still another half hour until the KG would leave him alone, and even that wasn't foolproof. "You two better be careful... I can't save your asses if you get caught."

* * *

AN: Sorry for the lack of Torn, he'll be in the next chapter. But you know guys there's only so much of Errol torturing him that I can write before I start getting into my torture reserved more suited for a Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings fic. But for those of you who wanted to see more I assure you he is being brutally tortured as we speak so yay! Thanks for all the reviews it was like wow I got one hundred billion reviews in like a week. Well not that much but you get the idea. I also put in dividers between parts hope that makes it easier on the eyes I don't like my reader's eyes melting or bleeding or any other icky things. Okay now the way I was or am rather typing this it's just non stop thinking and talking in my head and I don't think I can type much more cuz this is crazy I'm obviously hyper on something. Okay... see ya... 


	6. Found

**AN:** Major OOCness here, please don't interpret friendship as slash, although I really can't stop you. If you do ship JakTorn and you do decide to interpret this as slash please note there will be no intentional JakTorn. It's all friendship and I am a girl so I will write angsty and hurt comfort with guys even if "real" guys aren't man enough to show their feelings. No offense to the men reading this.

* * *

Torns screams went unheard as the dark eco was being pumped into him. He didn't know which treatment this was, or how long it's been, what day it was... he didn't know anything anymore. All he knew was that everyday for a couple hours he was brutally tortured. 

He has heard several times from the guards that he should be dead by now. Only one man the Baron had done this to has survived this long, that was Jak. Speaking of death, Torn welcomed it with open arms. He couldn't understand why he wasn't dead yet, it would just make his life so much better. By now he knew no one was coming for him, they would have been here sooner. No one was going to come and save him like Daxter did for Jak. He was either going to die slowly from the injections, or he was going to become a mindless dark warrior trained to kill. Either way, he didn't care.

He felt the familiar pain of the dark eco injections leave and his screams ceased. His breathing was labored and his eyes glazed over and watery. He felt hands pick him up and begin to drag him away.

"This was so much easier when he could walk on his own." One of the guards said.

The other one grunted. "Tell me about it."

As they drug home over to this cell they were unaware that they were being watched by a certain blond haired elf. Jak winced as he watched how helpless Torn had become, he had completely given up. He didn't think it was possible for Torn to be broken but apparently it was.

It wasn't hard to get here, he knew the way, he was armed with his guns with full ammo. He killed the guards that spotted him in an instant; some however were blissfully unaware of him. He had to laugh at some of them and their stupidity. He saw Ashelin outside the room, she managed to lure the guards away so he could sneak in without any trouble.

He got in and now he was witnessing them give one of his only friends terrible torture and treatment.

"Get in there," the second one growled. "We better get the hell outta here, we went over time today. We should just leave and put up security around the door. No one in or out until tomorrow. Don't need Errol on our asses about this."

"Probably right," the first said and the two Krimzon Guards left the room at a quick pace, being sure to lock the door on their way out.

Jak slowly crept out of his hiding place making sure they were completely gone. When he was sure he was alone in the room he looked around real quick before going over to Torn's cell. The place, it held many bad memories for him. His own cell was just next to Torn's. He knew what it was like in here, and how worse it must have been for Torn since they all had grudges against him.

He walked over and checked the number on the cell before walking over to the control panel on the wall and looking around. He had seen these controls before, he had used them before, now exactly how did they work again? Daxter jumped off his shoulder and onto the panel.

"Careful, Dax, I don't need you stepping on any buttons and setting off an alarm." Jak said warningly.

"Jak," Daxter drawled out. "You should know me better I am _always _careful." He said and stepped on one particularly big button. A beeping sound was heard and Jak shot his friend a look, he cringed in response.

The beeping starting going faster and faster and Jak was looking around the control panel for a way to shut it off. Just as he was prepared for the worst the beeping stopped and all the cell doors slid open. Jak's mouth formed a small 'o' and he looked around.

"Ha! See, I told ya! I knew what I was doin' the entire time!" he cried.

"Quiet," Jak warned. "Don't want to attract too much attention to ourselves." He said as he walked along the empty cells.

Finally the two reached Torn's cell. Jak felt like throwing up at the sight, the second in command of the Underground in such a state.

He was bloodied and bruised, pale and sickly. Unbelievably thin, or more thin then when Jak had seen him last. His shirt was missing reveling all the Krimzon Guard tattoos that littered his chest as well as the bruises, broken and wrongly healed ribs, and also nasty slashes that spelled out the word 'Traitor'.

Even Daxter felt weak at this sight, he may've made fun of Torn in the past but that didn't mean he wished this upon him. The pair stepped forward to him, they weren't sure if he was unconscious or just lying there, too weak to move.

Jak bent down and Daxter jumped off his shoulder and walked around to the other side or Torn, taking in all the injuries.

"Torn?" Jak asked looking at his face for any sign that he may have heard him. "Torn it's me Jak, we came to get you outta here."

There was a bit of a response, he shifted slightly and moaned in pain. "J... J... Jaaa..." He tried but his voice was so hoarse and he gave up trying to say his name.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me. We gotta get you outta here." Jak said and lifted him up onto his feet. Torn cried out in pain as he was moved and Jak apologized for it even though he was sure that Jak didn't hear him. "Come on, Torn, we have to get you over to the teleport gate, Dax, go over there and set it for Vin's place. I called Jinx before we left, he should be out there with a hover car waiting for us."

Daxter complied and jumped up on the controls, staring at them. They had used this teleport gate before. But Vin was always the one to set it to the right destination. Pushing a few buttons he looked at the monitor and saw a connection to all the teleport gates in the city. He pushed a few more and heard Jak telling him to get it ready behind him. In a few more pushes he hoped he had set it right and he prayed they wouldn't end up in the Baron's bedroom.

"Is it workin?" Jak asked as Daxter jumped up on his shoulder.

"Better be." Daxter said and they jumped through the gateway. Jak closed his eyes and opened them when he was sure he and Daxter had arrived at their destination.

Cracking them open he let out his held breath when he realized they were indeed in Vin's place. He walked a few paces to find Vin running up to him, a nervous and panicked look on his face.

"Jak! Is he okay! I heard what happened from Jinx! But he didn't know too much, he's outside. Should I go get him, do ya need any help –" Vin began to babble.

"Help would be nice." Jak grunted as he drug Torn a few more feet.

The smaller man ran over and supported Torns other arm, together they took the unconscious man out the door where Jak saw Jinx tinkering with the engine. Jak rolled his eyes. "Jinx what are you doing? We gotta get outta here."

"Hey, no worries, Jaky Boy," he said covering the engine and taking Torn away from the two and placing him in the third seat. "We're good to go." He said without his usual pep. Obviously seeing his long time friend like this was just as hard on him as it was for Jak.

Jinx jumped into the drivers seat and Jak took the passengers and he speed off through the city. Jinx, being the rebel he was, parked on the upper level where the people walked, he managed to sneak it up there when no KG's were there. Jak wished he was the one driving, he always did and didn't know why he wasn't now. But Jinx was good at avoiding things in the bulky three person hover car. He must also have been tinkering with the engine it went a lot fast then a normal three person car would.

They drove through the streets of the city avoiding all the cars and people that were getting in their way. They obviously couldn't tell that they were in a hurry and needed to get back to their secret headquarters. They were still another minute or so away if Jinx hurried, Daxter had jumped off Jak's shoulder when they got on. He was rising with Torn in the back, making sure he continued to breath.

When they reached HQ Jinx parked as close to the door as possible and they carried the unconscious for of their second in command out. They opened the door and almost fell down the stairs when they began their decent. They pulled him onto the closest bed and began looking him over.

"We need to check him over for any bad injuries." Jak said looking over to Jinx. "Got any medical training?"

"Not at all." Jinx said and then looked back down at him. "Oh man, look at his arm."

It wasn't entirely healed from when he hurt it a month ago when he was taken. It probably never got the chance to heal properly. "Does anyone know any medicine?"

"Uh... one of the ladies might?" Jinx said with a questioning look.

"I'll call them, in the meantime get some ice and put it on that bruise..." Jak said.

"Which one." Jinx moaned as he walked in the next room to get some ice packs.

Jak pushed a couple buttons of his communicator and waited for one of the girls to pick up.

"Yeah?" Came the voice of Vee over the com. her voice was crackling and breaking up a little.

"Vee, it's Jak, are you with Jen and Tess?"

"Yeah, why?" She said.

"Do any of you know medicine?"

"Uh, I dunno, why is someone hurt?" She asked, it sounded like she was at the gun range with Tess, he just heard a gun fire and Tess yelling about how it was malfunctioning.

"We found Torn." Jak said gravely. "He's not doing so hot."

"Oh Mar..." Vee trailed off. "Aah... um, I think Tess knows some stuff. Here," he heard the communicator move around. "Tess! Take it! They found Torn! They don't know what t' do, jus' take it!"

"Jak!" The unmistakable voice of Tess came over. "Is he there? Is he hurt bad?"

"Yeah, real bad, we need to know what to do for a broken arm that didn't heal right." Jak said starting with the moist obvious injury.

"Ohhh... depends how healed it is, if it's not fully healed give him a sedative. They're in the med cabinet and rebrake it and move at around so it feels right." Tess said seriously.

"I wish you were here to help with this." He sighed as he looked around in the nearby med cabinet.

"Me too, but I can't now, kinda in the middle of something. But just put ice on his bruises, disinfect the cuts, try and fix that arm and let him sleep. If he has a fever lower his body temperature, call me if you need anything else but I gotta go, okay?" She said sounding like she was in a panic.

"What are you doing over there anyway?"

"Trust me, you don't wanna know." She replied.

"Tess! Get over here and give us a hand!" He heard Jen yell in the background.

"Right, uh, bye Jak, good luck." Then the communicator clicked off and Jak was left with static.

Jinx came back in the room with some ice packs and began putting them on some of the worse bruises. Jak walked over to it and took out one of the needles. "We don't need him waking up for this." Jak said and straightened out his arm sp he could slide the needle in, thank Mar he had fairly large veins on his arms.

After he injected the sedative he glanced at Jinx who was feeling the broken arm. "Here it is, we have to rebrake it." Jinx said and Jak nodded. "Here goes nothing."

* * *

It was a few hours later. Torn was still unconscious on the bed. They had broken his arm again to let it heal the right way, now it sat there with a splint and wrappings. They had removed his old tattered clothes and now he lay there in a new pair of trousers but they kept his chest bare so they could continue to dress his wounds. They had set his ribcage; luckily there was no internal damage. Jak couldn't believe that the Baron gave him this much pain and torture of he expected Torn to be his new dark warrior. You would think he would want him alive. 

Jinx had left the HQ to go off and settle a few things, meet up with Ashelin and so on, and Daxter was out finding the girls, more specifically Tess, he was a little worried when he heard the gunfire over the com. So, Jak was sitting alone with him, waiting for him to wake up. By Jak's calculations it wouldn't take long, the sedative should have already worn off so now he was sleeping on his own accord.

Lucky for him he didn't have t wait long before Torn shifted in his sleep. Jak spotted this and was by his side in an instant. Torn's breathing a got a little quicker and he moaned with his face twisted in pain.

Jak realized that when he woke he was to give him painkillers so he went over and picked up the bottle he left on the table taking the water he dropped them in and let them dissolve in the water.

Torn moaned as he came too, the pain he normally felt was defiantly not as bad. In fact everything wasn't as bad. He was lying on something soft, not the hard floor he was normally thrown onto. He was on his bad, in a comfortable position, not the one he was lying in last he remembered.

Now that he thought about it, the last thing he remembered was Jak. He had a dream of him, that he had come to pull him out of his hell. But that was impossible, it had been too long, they wouldn't come now. It was too late, wasn't it?

"Torn?"

He moaned, that was Jak's voice, it had been so long since he heard it but that was defiantly it. he must have been dreaming again.

"Torn? Are you awake?"

He grunted and moved his head to the side only resulting in more pain. "J... Ja... Jak?" he whispered in a hoarse almost dead voice.

* * *

AN: Bad place to end I know but I need stuff to write in the next chapter. Besides I'm not quite sure how I want this conversation or lack of to turn out either. Need a little bit more time to think about it and it's already been about a week so I didn't want to guys to wait anymore. By the way schools also starting soon, after the next chapter I might not be able to write as quick. And being the smart person I am (cue eye roll) I started up another Harry Potter story so that makes three that are in progress right now. I'll be back ASAP though, see ya later! 


	7. Waking

**AN: **One quick note, there will be no Torn or Ashelin ships in this story, only some Jak/Keira and Daxter/Tess. Torn is after all mine, no other woman can have him.

* * *

"Torn?" Jak asked looking in Torn wide frightened blue eyes.

"Ja – Jak..." Torn repeated his eyes wandering the room as if he were suddenly blind. "Help me... please..." he said in a broken voice, he must not have known where he was.

Jak bit his lip, he didn't know what to say. He was no good at this. "You are safe, you're... you're at the hideout. It's okay, you're safe." Jak said with pity building up in his eyes at the helpless figure before him.

"Hi –hi... hide... out...?" Torn shuddered and looked around before his eyes rolled back in his head and all the stiffness he once held was gone.

Jak cursed under his breath faintly and check his pulse to make sure he was still alive. When he was positive he was his sighed and propped his head on up his hand as he stared at the still figure. He would have to wait for Torn to wake up again in order to explain things.

He just hoped he would be Torn when he work up and not a dark eco crazed monster. He remembered when Daxter told him how he reacted when he first woke up, he didn't remember himself. He had said he was prepared to kill him. But he was only getting treatments for a month; maybe he wouldn't be that bad. And if he did have an alter ego, Jak was sure he could take him, without killing him that is.

He had no idea how the dark eco had effected him. No one did...

Ashelin had left the palace several hours after Jak had gone, to make sure he was far enough away so nothing would look suspicious. After getting the men away fro a while she managed to sneak a peek in the room, there was no sign of Torn in his cell, or anyone for that matter. That meant that if it was Torn or not Jak got the person out.

When she left she immediately took out her communicator and tried to reach someone. She tried Jak first but it must have either been off or out of his reach, he didn't answer, she prayed he wasn't picked up by the guards. Next she tried Jinx. This time someone picked up.

"Jinx." He said over the com. his voice crackling.

"It's Ashelin, did you guys get Torn back? Was it Torn?" She asked worried as she walked over to her KG zoomer.

"Yeah it was Torn, we got 'im back safe an' sound. But 'e's in pretty bad shape, when I left Jak 'e was sleepin'." Jinx replied grimly.

She closed her eyes and sighed in relief, she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Do the others know?" She asked in a happy yet sympathetic voice.

"The girls do, Jak called 'um, we had no idea what to do medical wise." Jinx said. "Aah, I think Tess is gonna to come by the hideout, Vee and Jen are still takin' care of somthin' I think, said they could do it without 'er."

"Good," Ashelin said. "Maybe I can meet her there, I'm headed over now."

"That's probably for the best, Jak could probably use some help. I wish I could be there but I'm kinda busy at the moment." Jinx said sighing. "Ya know, I gotta go, but make sure to tell Jak good luck for me, and make sure Torn gets better."

"I will, Jinx," she said as she entered the slums. "I guess I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah, ya will, maybe even tonight if I finish all this quick enough." He said. "See ya."

"Bye." She said quietly as she heard the communicator click off. She placed hers back down by her hip and flew through the city at a fairly high speed, she watched as all the zoomers around her let her pass. Sometimes she just loved being authority.

As she pulled into the familiar alley way she saw a two person zoomer parked out front and two girls stepping out of it. One had greenish blue hair and the other was blond. Behind them a small orange ottsel jumped out. Ashelin smiled as she parked at the end and walked over to them. "Hey guys," she said and walked over to them.

"Hey Ashelin," Daxter said raising an eyebrow and winking, earning himself a glare and smack on the head from Tess.

"Oh, Ashelin." Keira said with a small forced smile, she didn't necessarily like the red headed Krimzon Guard all that much. But she still tried to be nice around her, maybe she wasn't as horrible as she though. After all, Tess seemed to think she was okay. "Tess told me what happened and I asked her to pick me up, hope that's okay." She said biting her lip; she had just been accepted into the underground, she wasn't quite sure of how everyone thought of her yet.

"It's perfectly fine." Ashelin said with a smile. "Do you know anything about Torn's condition?" She asked Tess. "I heard Jak talked to you."

She nodded, "he did, oh Mar I'm scared to see him. I know I should be there to help him but from what Jak told me it's just terrible." Daxter jumped up on her shoulder and patted her back in a comforting way.

"I know exactly how you feel." Ashelin said, "come on, we better get down there before we're spotted." With that they three girls walked over to the door and let it slide open for them to enter.

They walked down the steep stairs and into the main room. At first the three girls didn't see Torn or Jak, but then in one of the beds further up they saw Jak sitting next to a bed with a still figure in it. They all exchanged looks and walked over him.

"Jak?" Keira asked placing her hand on Jak's shoulder which made him jump, apparently he was asleep.

"Oh, Keira," he said sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you found Torn, so I asked if Tess could come by and pick me up."

"Oh..." He said and looked at the other two girls. "Hey guys."

Tess walked over to Torn and looked at him with pity, Daxter got on the bed and got a closer look at Torn. "So, how's he doin'? Did he wake up yet?" Daxter asked looking up to Jak.

"A little while ago, he was all delusional, didn't know what was happening, still thought he was back at the palace..." Jak said looking at him. "Kinda glad he passed out again I'm not sure how I should respond to any of that."

"Typical male, can't express any sort of feeling." Keira said sitting down next to Jak.

"Not our fault." Jak said and looked down at Torn. "Hey Tess, when should his bandages we changed?"

She looked and at him sighed biting the side of her mouth, thinking. "I dunno... depends how bad they were, were any of them infected?" She asked looking back up at Jak.

He looked like he was about to say something but then just closed his mouth and shrugged.

"Well just to be safe maybe in an hour or so. But other then that change them every day, we don't need them getting worse from the icky bandages." She said and rested her elbows on the bed.

"No... We really don't need that..." Jak said and leaned back.

Keira leaned over and felt his head. "I think he might have a fever." She stated and looked nervously around.

Ashelin walked over to her and bent over, feeling his bruised face as well. "I think you're right. Jak do you have any cloth handy so we can try and bring this down?"

"Uh, yeah, I'll go get it." He said and stood up.

"I'll help ya, Jak." Keira said and got up as well, following him into the back room.

"Oh God, Torn..." Ashelin mumbled as she pulled the sheet down a little bit to get a better look at his chest. The bandages were stained with red blood and through the bruises he held it was hard to tell where the multiple KG tattoos on his chest and arms began and ended.

"He'll get better, sweet stripes." Daxter said using the nick name he gave her when they first met.

"I know he will..." She replied and gave a genuine smile in Daxter's direction.

Keira walked into the kitchen behind Jak. She noticed his fatigued look and sighed, she walked over to him and rubbed his shoulders, surprising him. "Everything's gonna turn out okay, you know that right?" She asked him with raised eyebrows.

"I know, just worried, he was injected with dark eco. What if he's like me?"

She looked down, she had seen Dark Jak and she hated him. It was pure evil, he was a monster but she would never tell that to Jak, he wasn't a monster himself, but the dark monster inside him. "Even if he was, it wouldn't be that bad, he has you to help him. You're friends, admit it, you care about him, he cares about you. Even if you're both to stubborn to say it." She grinned at him as Jak wrung out a wet cloth.

"I'll never admit to anything." He smiled back at her as she picked up the bucket of cold water; they walked back to the main room with the items in hand.

They reached the room again to see Torn still unconscious and the members of the underground hovering around him. "Did you bring it?" Tess asked looking up at them.

"Yeah, here it is." Jak said and placed the cloth on Torn's head. "Hopefully this'll bring it down."

"I hope." Ashelin said, the two of them had known one another or years, when he was still in the guard and even when he was in training. She had a close relationship with the Torn, she loved him... as a friend. They both made it clear long ago that that was all they would ever be. But she still cared about him.

* * *

Later that night everyone had either gone back to their homes or were sleeping somewhere in HQ. Jak was the only one still awake, he should have been sleeping but he just couldn't... not now. If Torn woke up he wasn't sure how he would react if he was alone in the dark with no one there.

Jak yawned and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was not getting to be early morning. He realized his blinking was getting heavy, and he blinked hard a few times to make it go away. But soon he couldn't help the sleep that was taking over. Moaning, he laid his head down on his arms and closed his eyes, he didn't mean to fall asleep, it just happened.

Jak wasn't sure what woke him up, but he remembered lifting his head and looking at the clock, the sun should have been rising in a few minutes.

"You still here...?"

Jak stilled and looked over to see Torn with his head turned slightly to the side looking at him. Jak opened his mouth over and over again like a fish out of water, unsure of what to say.

* * *

**AN:** Okay... I left it exactly the way I did last time. But this time I have ideas for the next chapter. So I'm not clueless like last time, I mean I'll have to write this conversation out eventually, I just needed, as much as I hate to say, a filler chapter for you guys until I could get some decent ideas. So... ya know... review and... yeah... bye! 


	8. Aftermath

"Torn... Oh my God Torn, you're awake..." Jak said moving closer to his side and looking down at his weak friend in worry.

Torn's breathing was shallow and quick, his eyes were half closed and he looked near death, but he still managed to keep his glare. "Yeah, yeah Jak I am. What the hell are you doin' here?" He asked.

"What'd'ya mean what the hell am I doin' here? I'm looking after you." Jak replied.

"I don't need to be looked after..." He breathed.

Jak furrowed his brow and gave Torn a doubtful look. "Uh, yeah ya do. Torn... you're in horrible shape... you have broken bones, bruises covering you head to toe, you haven't had a decent meal in weeks..." Jak would have continued on but he was stopped by the man in the bed.

"Yeah, yeah I got the message," Torn winced as he shifted his position.

There was a pause, Jak wasn't sure if he could bring anything up. Torn seemed a little to... not happy no defiantly not happy, but a little too okay... Did he remember what happened? Or was he just repressing all that had happened too him. Jak didn't know, and he didn't know he didn't like. He wanted to find out.

"Torn, do you remember –"

"Yes." Came the sharp reply that made Jak silent. "Yeah..." he voice was noticeably softer. "Yeah... I remember everything. Then I remember you comin', gettin' me outta there... Thanks man..."

Jak bit his lip. "Just doin' what you'd do... for any of your men." He looked down, embarrassed.

Torn closed his eyes. "It's weird..."

"What?" Jak asked looking back up at him.

"The eco..." Torn replied and Jak's heart sank, so he was injected with enough for him to feel it. "I can feel it, it hurts..."

"It will." Jak said sadly. "But you'll get used to it."

"It doesn't go away?"

"No."

Torn winced and arched his back. "Oh God..." He choked out, not strong enough to hold back a sob as the pain tore though his body. He closed his eyed tight and clenched his teeth.

Jak didn't know what to do, he just sat in his seat and waited. It didn't look like he was in pain in any particular spot, Jak knew that feeling, he knew there was nothing he could do. But when Torn opened his eyes he wasn't prepared for what he saw on his friend.

Torn's eyes were black, a deep black. His skin was getting paler and paler but the tattoo's that littered his body were grower purpler and darker then the skin around them. His gasps turned into horrible growling sounds as he lifted his arms and long black nails grew out of them.

Jak watched all this happen to his friend as the dark eco consumed him. Is this what it looked like when he changed? It was horrible, frightening, no wonder people were afraid of him. He watched helplessly as Torn lost himself in the dark eco. When he knew his friend was completely transformed the creature let out a snarling noise and attempted to move, but the injuries he sustained were too great for him to do too much damage.

Jak reacted when Torn cried out in pain and tried to lash out at Jak with his good arm. He pinned the ex-Krimzon Guard down on the bed; he had more then enough strength when he tapped into the dark eco to hold off the wounded man. Jak could feel the dark eco begin to creep over his own body and it took all his strength to fight it off, he did however feel stronger and more powerful. This helped him hold Torn down a lot.

What was he going to do? Wait for the dark eco to run its course and for Torn to become normal again? Should he try and sedate him? The questions ran though his mind as he tried to think of all possible results. If he knocked him out he could do more harm then good, he couldn't reach a sedative now. If he kept him going like this then Torn could hurt himself or get too strong for Jak. For all he knew the dark eco he was using this time was stronger then the stuff the Baron used on him.

Luckily he didn't have to wait long; the dark, inhuman eyes slowly became a normal blue once more. The purple on his skin and tattoos died, he was still left with a sickly pale complexion though. Torn wasn't unconscious after this like Jak had hoped though.

Torn's eyes were tired, unfocused and wide and his mouth was open in a silent scream. He looked around his breathing ragged and he looked as though he was going to pass out any second.

Jak let the pressure off him and sat down at his side once more. "Torn? Torn? You okay, man? Hey, hey look at me." Jak said as he watched his friend look around in utter confusion and helplessness.

Torn didn't respond his eyes scanned the room as if seeing some terror that only he could see. Jak knew this because he turned around and looked, there was nothing there. He didn't know what was happening, he wasn't transformed anymore. He was just staring off whimpering and moaning. Then a shrill yell erupted from his mouth.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Torn yelled after a long scream.

Jak furrowed his brow and then widened his eyes in realization. Torn was having a flashback, the transformation must have brought it on. Jak looked around, there was no help coming. So he did the only thing he could think of. With an open hand, as not to do too much damage as he already would, he slapped Torn's tattooed face.

There was a long silence as Torn stared at Jak. Obviously now out of his horrible trance.

"Wha – wha 'appen'd?" Torn slurred as he tried to focus his eyes on Jak.

Jak shook his head. "You had a flashback." Jak said leaving out the transformation part. Torn didn't need to hear that. But it seemed Torn already knew more then Jak was willing to release.

"An'?" He asked in a raspy shaky voice.

He might as well tell him, Torn would never forgive him if he kept something this important from him. "You, uh, Torn you... you, um... changed..."

Torn knew what this meant right away, he had known Jak long enough to have seen him in his dark eco form. Or what some people had so kindly began referring to as Dark Jak. Now, it looked like there was a Dark Torn as well. Torn sighed and shut his eyes. "Dammi'..."

"I really wouldn't worry too much." Jak tried to be helpful and optimistic about this. "I mean it was only for a month, right? Took me two years to get where I am." He tried to be light and joke but it obviously wasn't working. Torn was giving him his best death glare, considering the condition he was in.

"No' worry too much?" Torn repeated still slurring slightly. "Wha' am I gonna do now..."

"Oh I don't know, how about practically run the war against Baron Praxis? Same thing you've been doing for years now, before I came along anyway." Jak said.

"How am I gonna tell my men?" Torn asked closing his eyes.

"Look... Torn, I know I said it was only a month, but really it was only a month. It may have felt like longer and it may have seemed longer but it was only a month. With normal dark eco, I saw you transformed. It wasn't bad; you were back to normal in just a minute. You were also weak, yeah I know considering your current condition I'm not surprised but you weren't that bad."

"Jak... I know I'm lucky... I know... I'm alive, but, Mar, why did this have to happen now... Why not when I left the KG... it was almost three years ago. Why now?" Torn sighed, he was never good at this whole thing... this let your feelings out thing. But he needed to vent.

"Because you were good enough not to get caught until now, and the only reason you did this time was because of me." Jak replied sadly.

"Wasn't you're fault, Jak." Torn said in a warning voice and leaning back farther. "No ones fault, it happened... and that's that..."

"Listen to your own advice." Jak said coldly. "It happened, nothing you can do about it. And you'll see in time sometimes it'll get you outta a jam. Maybe now I won't be the one going on all the suicide missions."

"Oh I doubt that..." He was now breathing a little heavily, all the talking and the transformation was taking its toll on him.

Jak noticed this. "You should rest."

"I'm fine."

"Don't be an ass."

"A little too late on that one Jak and besides you can't order me around. I'm your commander."

"You know I'm not one to follow orders."

Torn smirked and nodded, making his head hurt more but he ignored it. "I know, if anyone's an ass here it's you. You come in handy... but you're an ass."

"Rest."

"No."

"You're as stubborn as Dax, c'mon, just rest so I can change your bandages without you screaming bloody murder. If you don't I sedate you, one way or another." He said holding up the needle in one hand and making a fist with the other.

"You're not gonna stick me with some damned needle." Torn growled eyeing the syringe Jak was holding. "Besides I'm fine, I don't need rest, I don't need my bandages changed, I don't need to be lying in this bed when I should be planning strategies against the Baron, and I defiantly don't need you hovering over me every God damned second!" He snapped at Jak, this only caused him more pain with the tension building up in his body but he put it aside and concentrated on his task at hand.

Jak dropped the needle on the table next to the bed and raised his hands up in defense as he stood from the chair. "You don't think you need me? Fine then, let's see how well you fair when I'm gone. Who the hell's gonna snap your sorry ass out of a flashback now, huh?" He said as he walked up the stairs and stormed out of the hideout.

Torn looked down and glared at the end of the bed.

* * *

AN: Aw... poor Torny. Hey! How about all us fangirls go and hug him real tight to make all the badness go away!? I like that idea, and you Jak fangirls can go do that to Jak... hey do I have any fanboys here! Yeah... I'm a little out of it at the moment. My life has been so freakin' hectic. But never mind that I'll keep updating, I will never abandon this. I love my Torn too much and I have to make him all better. 


	9. Friends

Jak wandered around Haven City, suppressing the dark eco within him. He wanted to let it out but he had to wait until he got to Haven Forest, not here, that wouldn't be good. Too many people. But at least one thing was good, so far he hadn't run into anybody from the Underground. If he did then he would have to explain why he wasn't looking over Torn.

Speaking of Torn, Jak couldn't help but wonder if he was okay. When he left him he seemed fine. But then again all the medical signs said he was in pain. But this was Torn, he fought through anything.

"Jak?" Came a questioning female voice from above him.

He winced he knew that voice anywhere. He looked up and his fears were confirmed, it was Ashelin. She was above him flying her hellcat cruiser with Tess in the seat next to her and Daxter on Tess's lap.

"What are you doing out here?" Tess asked as Ashelin landed the hellcat. "Who's watching Torn?" She sounded concerned. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine." Jak said, obviously angry.

"You okay, buddy?" Daxter asked sensing that Dar Jak was surfacing. He had known Jak long enough to sense this coming on.

"I'm fine," Jak lied. "And Torn is too, he's still at HQ."

"With Keira?" Ashelin questioned. "Jinx can't be with him, we just left him, he's working on a new project."

Jak didn't respond.

"So he's alone!?" She yelled. "What were you thinking, Jak!?"

Tess spoke up with a much calmer voice. "You know he needs constant watch, what happened to make you leave? Did you fight?"

"Well," Jak started. "According to him, he can take care of himself." He hissed and then began heading back in the direction of Haven Forest. This time grabbing his hover board from off his back and jumping on it.

"We have to talk to Torn." Tess said worried, "this stress can't be good for him."

"I'll leave ya to go and do that, baby." Daxter said jumping out of Tess's arms. "I should go talk to Jak, I know how to pull him out of it."

"Okay, sweetie." Tess said. "Come back to HQ soon, just so I know you're okay."

"I've been around Jak when he's gone all 'grr' before; I think I can handle it. Don't worry about me, baby, besides, what can a little bit more dark eco do to me?" He asked before running off in the direction Jak went on all fours.

"I'm worried." Tess said.

"Me too, and not just because you're dating a rat." Ashelin sighed looking over to Tess who gave her a slap on the arm. The two girls then proceeded to get back in the hellcat and make their way over to HQ.

* * *

Torn laid down in the bed breathing hard. He had just tried to get up and look at one of his maps to see what Jak had been doing for the past month. But the second he tried to stand on his own two feet his legs caved out from over him and he fell hard on the ground crying out in pain. It took all his energy to pull himself back up on the soft welcoming bed. 

He was glad no one was around to see him in his moment of weakness. He knew that Jak had probably told everyone to leave for the next few days unless called in, he probably wanted to give him some peace and quiet. Which he was thankful for, he couldn't deny that.

Pushing himself up on his elbows once again he winced and gritted his teeth. Although it was horrible pain to even breath he was determined to get up and look at his maps.

"Torn?"

He moaned and looked over to see a familiar old man standing at the bottom of the stairs. It was the older Samos, not the young one Torn was used to the younger one. He was after all The Shadow. But then again, it didn't really matter which one he ran into, both were equally annoying.

"Samos," Torn grunted. "What're ya doin' here?"

"I heard Jak walked out, I came to see how you were." He replied calmly.

"I'm fine."

"Ha! Youth these days! Never admit to anything." He cried out as he walked closer to Torn's bed. "Torn, my boy, why must you insist on doing all this alone."

"Because I'm fine, I don't need any help."

"But you obviously aren't fine; a blind man could see that." Samos reasoned and just as Torn was about to respond he continued on. "Just let them help, you won't be able to survive through this alone, not only that but Jak has been thought this as well."

"But it's different with Jak, he was fine when he left..."

Samos nodded understanding. "It's true; Jak was given dark eco for so long he was stronger when Daxter helped him break out, it seems the rat does have some sort of use." He said as a side comment but then went back to a erious tone. "But that was because of the length he had been tortured with it. I assure you, during the first few months he was just as bad off as you are now."

Ton didn't know what to say, what could he say? He knew what Samos was saying and he understood it, but Torn didn't like to admit it when he was wrong. He didn't want the silence to drag on any further but to his luck the Green Sage spoke again.

"I hope you can find it in that hardened Krimzon Guard heart of yours to forgive Jak, you had, you _have_ a very close relationship." Samos said with a small smile.

Torn scoffed. "No we don't, he's just one of my men."

"One of your men who you risked your life to save in a losing battle. How many of your men would you have gone in that battle for? If it weren't for Jak's dark eco you would both be dead now."

"I would have done it for any of them."

"Maybe, but you would have also took the time to find some more backup, not rush in like you did."

Torn looked away and shook his head. "Whatever." He sighed.

Samos frowned. "You're a stubborn child, you know that right?" He growled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I should go, I have some duties to attend to. And by the way, I think Keira and Ashelin are on their way over."

"Tell them I don't wanna see them." Torn said quietly.

"Not my place to stop them, my boy, nor do I think I could. They're worried about you, everyone is." He said before heading over to the stairs and walking up them leaving Torn once again alone in the hideout.

* * *

Jak reached Haven Forest quicker on the hover board, luckily when he arrived he found no signs of anyone or metal heads. He wasn't in the mood for one right now. He stood by the stream and let out a loud, long yell as he let Dark Jak take over. He didn't know that at this moment a small orange ottsel was hiding safely at the entrance. Even if Dark Jak did notice his presence Daxter would be out of there before Dark Jak could even begin to chase him. 

The darkness had Jak consumed for a while; he must have been holding it in for some time. But soon though the broken trees and the disturbed lake and all the rest of the destruction he left behind Daxter's friend was back. Maybe not in the best condition, he was sitting by the lake looking down and breathing hard. But he was back.

He crept down the rocks and across the green grass and over to where Jak was sitting. Before he even got close to him, Jak spoke, his senses must have still been enhanced from the eco.

"Dax... what're ya doin' here?" He asked still facing away from him.

"Came to see how ya were. What? I can't do that?" Daxter asked now running over and running up his back to sit on his shoulder. "How ya feelin', buddy? Still wanna go all 'grr' on me?"

"I'm fine, Dax."

"Seems to be a favorite phrase now." Daxter said jumping off his shoulder. "C'mon, we should head back to the hideout."

Jak shook his head. "Not going back, Daxter."

"Yes you are!" He cried. "Jak, you can't be mad at Torn forever, we both know you're not even mad at him now."

"I am so!"

"No you're not!" Daxter yelled. "Now I know me and The Tattooed Wonder ain't exactly gotten along to well since he kinda insulted me, ya know first impressions aren't easy to break!" He referred to the time Torn had called him Jak's pet. It seemed like so long ago now... "But he's kinda my friend now. And you're kinda my friend and I know both of ya's, you're friends! Admit it!"

"Dax! It's not that easy."

"Why not? So he got mad? He has a reason, don't he? I mean you were... _are_ kind of an ass." Jak shot him a look. "Hey I'm just tellin' it how it is. But you're not all the time, like now you kind of are, but not always."

"Thanks..." Jak mumbled.

"Hey, it's not so bad! He's always an ass so maybe it'll have no effect on him!"

"Is there a point?"

"Yes, you're not gonna leave him there alone, you know that and I know that. Aside form him me and Jinx are your only male friends! And hangin' out with a bomb fanatic and an ottsel can't be good for ya!"

Jak chuckled and nodded. "I see your point, Dax, I'm feelin' better now anyway, now that the dark eco's gone... for now."

"Fine then, let's head back, never know when this place could get infested with metal heads."

"I doubt they'll all come at once." Jak said standing up and allowing Daxter to jump on his shoulder.

"Like I said, never know."

* * *

**AN:** Hi, sorry I'm late, but like I've said school started and I don't have as much free time anymore. But I'm still putting chapters out, I'll never stop, well I'll have to eventually, I'll either die or this story will end one day. Hopefully it'll be the latter... But then again I'm sure I'll finsih this before I die... Okay I'm done with that pointless nonsense talk now. Review guys! You know I love the reviews! 


	10. Story to Tell

Jak stood outside the hideout door hesitantly, he was still mad at Torn, he didn't want to go and talk to him. But the small ottsel that stood at his feet was urging him on. Jak opened the large door and started walking down the steps slowly, halfway down he met with Ashelin and Tess, they were walking back up. Daxter must have told them before hand they were coming back because Tess picked Daxter up and they three walked out without another word.

Jak looked down and began his decent once again. He heard heavy breathing from one of the beds furthest from him and when he got lower he saw Torn lying in it, shaking slightly and breathing heavily. Jak felt a sting of pity run through him at Torn's weakened state. He knew that the ex-KG wouldn't want that, but he couldn't help it.

"Jak." Torn rasped and moved his head around on the pillow to see him more clearly. Hs face was pale, letting his tattoos stand out more against his skin. "You came back."

"Of course," Jak said and wandered into the room shyly, he sat down on the bed next to Torn's. "You didn't think I would just leave you here did you?"

Torn raised an eyebrow and shrugged the best he could.

"Well I wouldn't." Jak insisted. "I guess... I guess I shouldn't have left in the first place. I shouldn't have left you... and, I guess I'm sorry." He said stubbornly and not looking at Torn as he said it.

There was a long awkward pause, all that could be heard was Torn's labored breathing. Jak broke the painful silence after a few minutes that seemed like hours. "So, um, are you okay? It sounds like you've gotten worse"

Torn laughed slightly but it only turned into a cough, when he was done coughing he smirked at Jak. "Yeah, Kiera says that before it may have just been an adrenaline rush or somthin' like that. But now it's over, heh, they said now I don't get to cover anything up."

"No, I think you're still covering stuff up." Jak said with a smirk in return.

"Probably am, I don't even know anymore."

"Maybe I can get Samos here, ya know, green eco, healing." Jak tried and Torn nodded.

"Yeah, that's where Kiera's going now, I think." Torn said leaving out the part that Samos had already come. "Uh, Jak, ya know, I uh, well ya know..."

"I get it." Jak said sparing Torn from actually saying the words he knew were hard for him to say. "Do you need anything?"

"No, Jak, I'm fine," Torn breathed. "Just tired is all."

"Maybe you should rest." Jak offered, knowing that was exactly what Torn needed right now.

But, being stubborn, Torn shook his head and argued with Jak, even though he was well aware that was what he needed. "I've done enough resting, I wanna be awake, I wanna go out and get revenge..."

Jak grinned and nodded, amused. "Revenge, eh? Yeah I know all about that one, but remember; sometimes revenge is best served cold." Jak felt weird saying this, there was a good six or seven year, or what he assumed, age gap between them. Torn should be the one giving advice. "My revenge must be ice by now. When you're back at full strength we can go get revenge on him, together. Make him sorry he ever gave us dark eco."

Torn laughed dryly and a shadow of a smile appeared on his face. "Together, huh? What makes you think I'm gonna go out and do my own dirty work." He asked, being commander and important usually he didn't take physical part in the field missions, not to mention if a KG was likely to get a hold of him, he didn't need the search for him to go out again. When the search for him originally went out almost three years ago he had to lie low for four months before he could walk through the city freely again. Now he still has to duck in shadows when he sees a guard.

"Because I know you, and with this one you won't mind gettin' your hands dirty."

"You're right, Jak, you do know me." Torn grinned and then his face turned grim and his eyes narrowed. "I'll kill him with my bare hands... I swear I will."

"No you won't."

Torn raised an eyebrow at him. "What makes ya say that?"

"You won't, because I want a piece of his ass too." Jak said with an evil smile across his face.

"Fair enough," The commander said with a smile. He stiffed and yawn and looked away before grimacing in pain. "Oh wow, that kinda hurt."

"I think you do need some rest." Jak tried to reason again as he stood up from the bed he sat on and walked over to the table.

Torn shook his head giving his headache more power, "Jak I told you, I'm fine, I don't need any rest. " He said shifting his position on the bed to try and get more comfortable.

Jak laughed and poured a cup of water for his friend. "You say that now," he murmured.

"What was that?" Torn asked playfully, he knew very well what Jak had said.

"Oh nothing, nothing." Jak said and walked back over to the bed. "Here, drink this."

Torn eyed it suspiciously. "What is it?" He asked.

"Just water, you sound a little hoarse, and if we wanna continue this conversation I don't want you losing your voice in the middle of a good story." Jak said jokingly.

"I promise ya, I won't." Torn said and reluctantly took the water from Jak and drank some of it.

"All of it." Jak demanded. "Don't want ya getting' dehydrated. Ashelin would slit my throat where I stand."

Torn nodded and laughed slightly. "She would too." He said before downing the rest of the water from the cup. "Jak, are ya sure the water valve to the slums is open completely? This tastes sort of weird," he said slowly.

"I dunno, when someone comes back to watch ya I'll go out and check." Jak lied, he knew exactly why the water tasted weird. "So, Torn, how long have you lived in the slums?" He asked trying to spark up conversation while the sleeping drought took its effect on Torn.

"Heh, all my life." Torn said as he placed the cup on the table. "Never was the richest elf in Haven."

"Shocker." Jak said sarcastically and Torn rolled his eyes which were getting heavy. "What made you join the guard, I mean it's not like you're the child of the Baron like Ashelin. You just don't seem like the kinda guy that would so that."

Torn looked down and sighed. "Eh, I was a kid, I went in KG training when I was seventeen. I thought it would be so cool, be a Krimzon Guard, I got to make the rules, I would have power. Not to mention the money, free housing and food, parents died a couple years earlier so I was on my own for a while. Doing small jobs here and their trying to earn a living."

"What was it like?"

"Fun, for me at least, I was top in everything I did." He smiled. "Well almost, when I was in training I had a few friends, you know one of them, Vee, you know that blond chick? Well she ran away though, about to get her tattoos and become a real guard and she ran away. But there was Marcus and Aaron too, both of them are still guards, but they leak information to me on the side. There was also... Errol... he was my friend. He was my roommate, then he became an ass. Abandoned loyalty, friendship, trust, honor, all to get to the top. I hope he's happy, because I plan on taking it all away from him." Torn said acidly.

"What made you leave?" Jak asked now interested in the 'story time' he was having with Torn.

Torn smirked and looked up at Jak from the bed. "You, actually, Baron Praxis decided it was time he let me in on a few secrets, told be about the dark eco treatments, about you. Then... I just ran. Right there, right on the spot. Got hurt, went to a bar, met Samos, he healed me, I didn't even realize it. But... then he offered me a job, I took it cause, well, I had nothin' else. Left it all behind when I left the guard." Torn yawned and blinked slowly, his eyes were beginning to get heavy.

"How old were you?" Jak asked quietly.

"Twenty two when I left." Torn began to slur. "Just a kid... hey Jak... how old are you now?"

"Eighteen." Jak replied and he saw Torn's eyes widen slightly.

"Damn, you are a kid. And here I thought I was a kid when I left at twenty two.

"That's still really young you know."

"I guess, but I had to grow up fast, ya know..."

"Yeah, I get all that." Jak said understandingly.

It looked like Torn was about to say something else but his head fell limp on the pillow and his eyelids shut one last time. The drought was taking its effect and he was now in a deep sleep. Jak hoped that he wouldn't have a nightmare and get stuck in yet another flashback, but if he did, he was there to pull him out of it.

* * *

AN: Hey guys I'm back, sorry I'm late but my dog died, I know sad, I miss my baby. But he was old and sick, I guess it was for the best.

Anyway, I know this was kinda short, but just stick with me, I'll update again soon. I promise, like I've said, I will never abandon this story. Also one last thing, I lowered Torn's age a few years, some of you may have noticed some of you maybe not. But he's around 24 or 25 here, he should be around 27 I think or maybe 28... I dunno, whatever, but I always write him younger then he really is, I guess I was just like "wait what" when his profile in Jak X showed his age.


	11. Like Family

Torn moaned in his sleep and began moving his head from side to side on the pillow. Jak looked up from where he was polishing his gun at the main table, Torn had been asleep for almost three hours now and Jak was very thankful. He seemed to be resting peacefully, until now that is.

Jak moved over and sat down next to him, just in case he was needed, and it looked like he was going to be. Torn began to mumble in his sleep and his breathing was becoming more shallow and quick. "No... I'll never join... I quit... no..." Her murmured, Jak had to strain his ears to hear it right.

"Torn." Jak said and reached over to nudge his shoulder, which seemed to be the bad thing to do because Torn jerked away in his sleep and took in a shaky breath while letting out a pain filled moan. "Torn, Torn, its okay, man, you're at the hideout, its okay!" Jak said more forcefully, but also not watching to arouse him again. Torn however only seemed to get more sucked into his nightmare.

"Get away from me!" Torn cried and flinched away from Jak once more when he reached out to him.

"Torn, you're dreaming!" Jak yelled and gripped his shoulders. "Wake up, please, Torn just wake up." He shook his shoulders and then Torn's blue eyes snapped open and tears were visible in them.

"Shit... Jak?" Torn asked as he looked around trying to figure out his surroundings. "Oh... Mar..." He said when he realized what was happening.

"Are you okay?" Jak asked and he sat back down.

"I'm fine."

Jak paused and nodded his head for a moment. "Do you remember it?" Torn nodded lightly. "Wanna tell me about it?" Jak said uncomfortably feeling a little bit like a parent doing this, like when he was a little kid back home, Samos could be nice when he wanted too.

Torn sighed and shook his head while shrugging. "I dunno, Jak... Just... remembered being in the guard being there again, in the palace, in that room... I can't ever forget."

"You quit though..."

"I did, but Jak, look at my face." He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow to the younger boy. "C'mon, man, look at my arms, my chest... I may have quit but the guard follows me wherever I go. If I walk in a bar and the people don't know me, they avoid me, they _fear_ me. I know how that feels more then you think. And now... I guess they have even more of a reason..."

Jak looked down, he never thought about that. Torn could never get rid of the tattoos that decorated his skin. They were constant reminders of being in the guard, of the Baron, of the palace where his torture was, and now the place that gave him his real dark side. "Just avoid mirrors." Jak said with a weak grin.

Torn laughed hoarsely and looked around at the familiar hideout that he had been confined to. "Urg, I hate it here, when can I leave? I've been lying here forever."

"Just a few days," Jak said and leaned back crossing his arms.

"Seems like longer, c'mon Jak, wha'd'ya say we go out?" Torn said sitting up and getting excited about the idea of going out and having fun. With the war going on Torn couldn't remember the last time he went out and just had fun with his friends, it was probably when he was in the guard. Now was the perfect excuse, he was supposed to be resting anyway, so work was out of the question before it was even asked.

"No," Jak said firmly and pushing on Torn's shoulders. "The girl would kill me if they caught you out of bed, not to mentions kill you."

"Never mind them, call them and tell them I'm sleeping and not to come by for a few hours so I can have my rest." Torn pushing himself up past Jak and swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He straightened himself up, which hurt a lot actually but he tried not to show it and walked to one of the back rooms of the underground.

Jak followed him. "Where are you going?"

"My room, I need some clothes." He scoffed and walked in one room before shutting the door.

Jak sighed and leaned up against the wall next to the room. He had never entered Torn's room before and he wasn't sure he wanted too. He knew the ex-Krimzon Guard too well, going in his private room would only make Torn angry, him frightened, and cause chaos. He actually had to stop Daxter from going in on a number of occasions.

Torn stood in his room slowly pulling on his shirt over his chest. He took most of the bulky bandages off, now only large Band-Aids and multicolored bruises covered his chest. He let out a slow breath as he finished putting on the tight shirt, grabbing a pair of pants he was bale to pull them on over his boxers faster as his lower body wasn't as bad off as his upper body. He walked over to the cracked and dirty mirror in his private bathroom, his face was still littered with bruises but some of them blended with the color of his tattoos, maybe they weren't that noticeable.

He walked into room and sat down on the bed, he took his boots form where they lay discarded on the floor and pulled them on. Last now, were his weapons. The knife was a challenge seeing as it went on his back and his arms were sore. The holsters on his thighs were far easier.

When he was finished Torn pushed open his door to find Jak sitting on the floor with his communicator out. "Comfortable?" Torn asked and walked by with a limp.

"That took forever." Jak commented.

"It's a bit hard when you can't move." Torn growled in a typical Torn fashion, the old Torn was coming back, full force. "Did you call the girls up?"

"Yeah, pretty easy to convince too, just told them you were resting and they bought it right away."

Torn laughed and made his way up the stairs to leave the underground, he was moving a bit slow in front of Jak, but Jak decided it was best not to bring it up. He opened the door to the hideout and looked out, with him narrowly escaping the Baron's clutches; chances were there was still a search out for him.

"We have to stick to the shadows, Jak... Bein' seen ain't somethin' I'm lookin' forward too now." Torn mumbled as they stepped out and he made his way over to a parked two person zoomer.

"Then why bother goin' out at all?" Jak asked as he hopped into the passengers seat, letting Torn gain some dignity back.

"Because, I know a bar that is perfect for this sort of thing." He said with a smirk and they sped off through the down.

Jak wasn't surprised when they didn't leave the slums, no one really cared about this place and you could find pretty much anyone and everyone here if you looked hard enough. They pulled into a back road, and Torn parked near the back before walking over to what seemed to be an empty wall.

"What are you doing?" Jak asked as he walked over to Torn who was staring at the wall.

"Ssh," he answered sharply and banged on the door two times.

A side opened and a man's eyes appeared in the small space. "What?" He asked rudely and glared at them.

"It's Torn you jack ass, let me in." He said and the guys eyes went wide and the door swung open.

"Torn? Commander of the Underground? Oh my Mar...Yer alive!" The man exclaimed with a disbelieving face on and relief in his eyes.

"Second in command," Torn corrected with a smirk. "I escaped Baron Praxis once before, I can do it again. By the way, this is Jak, one of my best men, saved my life..." He said giving Jak a smile as he turned around to introduce him. "Jak, this is Karl, an old friend of mine."

Jak nodded his head to the much older man, maybe Torn did have a life outside the Underground.

"What are we standin' out here for?" Torn asked, "I think it's about time we go in and drink somthin'. I haven't had a decent drink in a month." He complained and the three walked into the hidden bar.

It was dark, dusty, and smelled like smoke. He could tell that this place was a place where Baron Praxis was not welcome and that probably went for Krimzon Guards as well. Karl walked behind the counter and took out a few glasses form under it. Torn and Jak both took seats at the counter.

"So, Torn, what happened to ya, boy? I mean, well, we all thought ya dead." Karl asked softly.

"Nearly was..." Torn muttered and subconsciously reached up and touched the sensitive skin around his face. Karl didn't seem to miss it as he did not push, and Jak didn't miss it either.

"C'mon, drinks are on the house tonight." Karl said.

"Hey is Jinx here?" Torn asked suddenly as he received his drink as if something had just popped into his mind, and it sort of did.

Karl nodded. "I thought I saw 'im around here somewhere."

Torn nodded. "Talk to ya later, I gotta go find him, tell him about our little lie to the girls." Torn smirked and walked off to try and find Jinx.

"I _think_ I saw him." Karl said quietly and leaned over the counter near Jak. "Look, take care of the boy, would ya? He really got 'imself beat up this time, I can tell. I've never seen him so... bad... He's tryin' to hid it, but he's hurtin', look after him, I can't always."

Jak nodded. "I know what ya mean, and I will, or I'll try. He's stubborn, I can't make too many promises."

Karl laughed heartily. "Oh I know that, known 'im since he was four, even then he was a hard ass."

"Four?" Jak asked and looked up at him skeptically.

He nodded his head. "Yup, friend of his father's, when he died I sort'a took 'im in as me own. He's like my own. But then he grew up and joined that damned guard. Told 'im not too, told 'im it was bad news but he didn't listen to this old coot. But I tell ya." Karl said and went back behind the counter to pour someone a new drink who was waiting at the counter. "He couldn't have turned out better."

"So you raised him?" Jak asked even though he pretty much knew the answer.

Karl, once again, nodded his head.

"Tell me, Karl, when did he start gargling nails...?" Jak asked leaning forward and making the older man laugh out loud, gaining a bit of the attention from every man and woman in the bar.

* * *

AN: Well I'm finally back! I know it's been so incredibly long, but I had the fall play for school and for any of you drama kids out there you know how hard that gets. But I swear I'm not just making these excuses up, really, they are actually going on. This chapter is actually getting written at around three in the morning and I'm tired so I probably won't put it up until tomorrow... But you guys won't know the difference anyway... so I don't know why I bought it up... see ya! 


	12. Championship Race

It was over two weeks later, almost three weeks since they had found Torn broken and bruised in the cell. Talking to him you would never know that something like that would have happened, however, looking at him is another story. There was still visible bruising along his jaw line and around his eyes. There were scars on his face, and still one line running through his lip, and if you looked at his chest... it was a completely different story.

Still sore ribs, along with large green and purple bruises where the dark eco injections were given. He had a limp, he tried to hide it, but it was painfully obvious. Samos helped him along the best he could with green eco but it wasn't working as well as it would a regular elf. The dark eco was affecting him so the green eco wasn't working.

The dark eco, there was defiantly a dark half of Torn now; Jak had only seen it one time since the day Torn first transformed. Sometimes he would still have night terrors and Jak would go in and wake him up from the nightmare. Usually reliving the torture he endured over the month he was captive at the palace. But Jak was always there to help, he and Torn had grown closer over the past few weeks. They had more in common, that much was for sure, but it was other things, they helped the other out more. On Jak's last 'suicide mission' Torn had even given him some words of encouragement before Jak left.

Torn stumbled into the hideout with Jak right behind him swaying just as much. They had just finished a mission together. Jak insisted he go alone and that he could handle it but Torn went along anyway. He said he hadn't seen the field for too long. He missed the action, Jak figured it was probably just a rush from the dark eco being inside him now, but then again, Torn was always up for action.

"See, sometimes those missions can be fun." Jak said as they both entered the main room of the hideout, Jak sat on a bed and Torn placed his arms on the table, Jak noticed his right leg was bent and he had no pressure on it. "You okay, man?"

"Fine." Torn sighed and rubbed his forehead. During this fight, he actually went Dark Torn on everybody, but then again Jak went dark as well. "Just kinda... felt funny."

Jak nodded and walked over. "Yea, so this is the first time you went all dark when you were fighting, huh? Yeah I remember that, I just left the palace after Dax helped me out. Just ran into Kor and then a buncha guards attacked."

"I didn't even realize I did it..." Torn said staring down at the table. "It was overpowering... Oh Mar..." He ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Eh, don't worry about it, gets easier the more ya do it."

"Easier or do ya just get used to it."

Jak bit his lip and rubbed his face with his hand. "Okay... yeah, maybe you do just get used to it. But you get used to it, ya know..."

"I'm not sure I wanna get used to that." Torn said and moved around to the other side of the table. "Losing control, my mind... I don't like not being in control."

"You get it back, the more you do it, the more you can control it. Besides, it shouldn't be that bad from now on; I mean you only got injections for one month." Jak said following him around the table to look at the many maps displays on it.

"I know I know, if this is how it feels for me, I can't even imagine how you feel... it must really suck."

Jak didn't respond to this, he bit the inside of his mouth and looked down. But lucky for him, Torn started talking again, he didn't have to say a word.

"So, let's see, we just got rid of those eco hungry metal heads in Haven Forest, now, where are they coming from... Where are they hiding out? It's seems whenever we get ride of one two more take its place... You shot all the eggs right?" He said completely steering away from the subject.

Jak nodded. "All the ones I saw, yeah."

"They must have some spot... some place where they're hatching their eggs before we can get to them... But where the hell would that be. I'm not letting this place fall to metal heads... like before..."

"Dead Town?" Jak asked and Torn nodded. "Were you a guard yet?"

"No... Happened when I was a kid... a couple years younger then you actually."

"I'm not a kid." Jak said glaring at Torn.

He shook his head. "Never said you were, I was actually gonna get recruited into the guard. He started recruitin' all able bodied men to fight. Workin' his way down in ages. They pulled out of the fight just before they got to me. But I would've loved to of fought in that. Payback on those damned metal heads." His hands became fists from where they sat on the table.

"Metal heads have done something to everyone in this city by the looks of it, what'd they do to you?" Jak asked knowing he was walking into forbidden territory and Torn just might bite his head off, but he went in anyway.

Torn was silent as he looked at the map, but his eyes didn't move from the one spot he stared at. "My father... my mother, both dead, because of the metal heads." He looked up at Jak. "That's why I hate them, that's why I fight. I was orphaned at the age of six because of them."

"That's when Karl took you in." Jak said daring to dig deeper.

"Yup, friend of my fathers. Don't remember when I met him, guess I was too young."

Jak nodded. "Guess that's just one more thing we now have in common," Torn looked up and raised an eyebrow at him. "I was orphaned too, don't even remember what age I was. I was raised by Samos, older Samos." He added.

"Still kinda freaks me out, two of them, and I thought one was bad enough." He said, still leaning over on the table.

"You're tellin' me." Jak said with a smile.

At that moment was when Daxter walked down the stairs and into the hideout. He jumped up on the table and just about right in Torn's face, surprising both he and Jak. Torn growled and glared down at the small ottsel who cowered slightly before speaking.

"Uh, heh, ya know I hate to interrupt this 'touching conversation' but Jak, Kiera wants to see both of us at the stadium, pronto." He said jutting his thumb behind him.

"Does she have to see me now?" Jak asked.

Daxter shrugged. "You could wait, but then ya'd have to suffer through her wrath. And she has wrenches."

Jak scoffed and thought for a moment. "Alright, I'm comin'."

"Might as well go anyway, class one championship race is gonna start soon." Torn said looking up at the clock on the wall. "You'd have to head over there soon anyway, if you want to compete that is."

Jak laughed. "Like hell I would have gotten us this far not to compete in the final race."

"Hey!" Daxter cried and put his hands on his hips. "I helped too!"

"That ya did, Dax... So, you gonna come to the race?"

Torn smirked. "Wouldn't miss it, I can't wait to see you crush Errol."

* * *

Torn walked along the upper part of the stadium, out of the sight of the many Krimzon Guards that patrolled the area. They were still looking for him, the Baron hadn't given up yet.

The race was going well, Jak and Errol were both fighting for the lead. But on the final lap, Jak used one of the suicide jumps and cut through part of the race giving himself a good lead. Torn's heart seemed to stop at that pointed, it looked like he might not make it to the other side, but he should have known better. Jak landed perfectly on the other side and continued to race.

When he blew past the finish line Torn smiled and suppressed the urge to act like a complete fool. The stadium did that for him though, all of the people jumped up and roared at their seats. Torn didn't realize just how into the races they all got. It had been a few good years since he had seen one live for himself.

As he watched it seemed to him that Daxter didn't even drive and yet he seemed to be happier and boasting more then Jak. But then again this was no surprise. The orange rat always did have a big head.

Torn chuckled to himself as the Baron glared down at Jak, after he realized just who the winner of the race was.

"Kill him!" The Baron cried and Torn reached down to grab his gun from where it sat in the holster. He was ready to play sniper up here to protect Jak from the guards.

But by the looks of it he didn't have to. Errol came racing down the track straight for Jak. "JAK! Look out!" Torn yelled leaning over the railing.

Jak tumbled out of the way of the oncoming race zoomer leaving Errol to plow right into the drums of eco that were behind him. Torn managed in that time to jump down from where he was and make him way to the front of the stadium. He stood there and waited, he knew Jak would be making his exit then. And sure enough a second later the familiar blond came running out of the stadium.

"Ya had to gloat didn't you?" Torn said running along side him now. "How did ya figure you'd get outta there? Couldn't have known Errol was gonna pull a stunt like that."

Jak shrugged as they each stole a one man zoomer, it would be faster then getting a two man one. "I have my ways."

"Of course you do." Torn said and the pair set off in the direction of the palace.

In no time they arrived at the palace doors. Torn parked his zoomer and looked over to Jak and then up at the palace. "You really gotta go in there, huh?"

"Yeah... Welcome to join me."

Torn held up his hand and shook his head. "Oh no, I've spent enough of my time in there, you're a braver man then me Jak. Besides, if it ever came down to me and someone I went out drinking with on Saturday night, I don't know if I could. Killing them from a distance is different, can't see faces." He smirked.

"I get it." Jak said and started walking up the steps to the palace as the computerized voice rang out.

"You need purple clearance for this gate."

"Yeah, yeah." Jak mumbled and walked up to the opening doors. "I'll see ya later, Torn."

"If you live." The ex-KG smirked back at him.

"You know I will." With that Jak walked into the doors of the palace.

Torn watched the doors close behind him and nodded his head. "In know you will..." He murmured. "Good luck, Jak."

With that Torn walked back to his zoomer and rode back to the hideout.

* * *

**AN:** FIN!!!!!! We're done, I know I usually put up a warning that the next chapter would be the last but I was actually expecting two chapters more. But I got it all done here. I hope no one's sad, but then again if you were happy I'd be sad cuz that means ya didn't like the story and wanted it to be over. But then again I hope you were happy cuz then that would be this was a good way to end... If that makes any sense...

Well thanks for reading this story, I hope you guys liked it. And just as a side note, if anyone was wondering my inspiration to torture Torn like this, here's why. Ya know when you stand idle by some KG's and you can hear them talking? Well one time they say something like:

"I'd like to kill that Shadow guy."

"Yeah, and that traitor Torn."

"Death's too good for him."

So I figure if they ever did get a hold of him, they would torture him a bit. Hm, maybe inspiration for another story, not dark eco related. Hmmm, oh well another time perhaps. Well, that's for reading! Really, you're reviews were great! Now, for old time sake all fangirls (or fanboys?) Give Torn a great big hug for all the torture I put him through!!!!


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